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Golf in America 



A Practical Manual 



JAMES P. LEE 




^^'^i^-a^ ^ 



NEW YORK 

DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 

1895 



k. 






Copyright, 1895, by 
DoDD, Mead & Company 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



PREFACE. 

A NEW game has lately been added to 
the list of our outdoor sports. At first 
there were reasons why it did not ap- 
pear to be a game to which the Ameri- 
can temperament would seem to be per- 
manently attracted, and grave doubts 
were expressed as to its ability to hold 
its own in this country. Such was the re- 
ception of golf. As time went on, how- 
ever, and the game became more widely 
known a change occurred. The extreme 
enthusiasm of those who took it up in- 
duced others to play, and every day 
added to the ranks of its adherents. 
The secret of the game was no longer a 
sealed book ; its apparent simplicity and 
lack of interest were seen to be delusions, 
and its success was assured. Upon every 
side golf clubs sprang into existence, 
and the formation of a National Asso- 
ciation became a necessity. Conse- 
quently, upon December 24, 1894, the 
following representatives of five of the 
leading clubs in the United States met 



iv PREFACE 

pursuant to a call previously issued: 
Mr, Theodore A. Havemeyer and Mr. 
Winthrop Rutherford, representing the 
Newport Golf Club; Gen. Thomas H. 
Barber and Mr. S. L, Parrish, repre- 
senting the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club ; 
Mr. John Reid. and Mr. H. O. Tall- 
madge, representing the St. Andrews 
Golf Club of Yonkers; Mr. Lawrence 
B. Curtis and Mr. P. S, Sears, rep- 
resenting the Country Club of Brookline, 
Mass. ; and Mr. Charles B. MacDonald 
and Mr. J. A. Ryerson, representing 
the Chicago Golf Club. 

The details of this conference are 
given elsewhere; its result was the 
recognition of golf as an established 
American sport and the organization of 
the United States Golf Association. 

Hence this little volume. 

The writer desires to express his sin- 
cere thanks to H. O. Tallmadge, Esq., 
Secretary of the United States Golf 
Association, for his kind assistance in 
many ways. 

New York, May i, iSgS- 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

PAGE 

Origin of the Game of Golf — Its Early History — 
Scotch Statutes — Extracts from Church Regis- 
ters — Anecdotes — Account of the Game in 
England and Scotland from 1864 to the Pres- 
ent Time — Leading Scotch Golf Clubs — 
Leading English Golf Clubs — History of the 
Open and Amateur Championship Meetings in 
England and Scotland 5 



PART II. 

History of the Introduction of the Game into 
America — St. Andrews — Shinnecock Hills — 
Newport — Morris County — Tuxedo — Mont- 
clair — Richmond County Country Club — 
Orange Mountain Golf Club — Meadowbrook — 
Country Club of Brookline — Essex County 
Myopia Hunt Clab— Prides Golf Club— Ger- 
mantown Cricket Club — Philadelphia Country 
Club — Merion Cricket Club — Chicago — Colo- 



L CONTENTS 

PAGE 

rado Springs — History of the Organization of 
the United States Golf Association — Constitu- 
tion and By-laws of the United States Golf 
Association — Golf in Canada . . , -33 



PART III. 

Explanation of the Game and of Certain Techni- 
cal Terms — The Advantages and Drawbacks 
of Golf— General Remarks on the Game . . 94 



PART IV. 

For Beginners— The Method of Play— Choice of 
Clubs — Driving — Play on the Green — Putting 
— Summing up 112 



FART V. 

The Etiquette of Golf— Playing Rules as Adopted 
by the United States Golf Association — Special 
Rules for Medal Play — Glossaiy of Technical 
Terms — List of Leading American Clubs — 
List of Leading Canadian Clubs . . . 149 




PART I. 

The origin of golf has been the cause 
of much surmise upon the part of his- 
torians of the game. They are all 
agreed, it is true, that the game which 
is played to-day is substantially the 
same as that which flourished in Scot- 
land some four hundred and thirty-eight 
years ago. This was at a time before 
the general introduction of firearms 
into Scotland, and the game of golf was 
diverting the attention of the Scotch 
people to such an extent from the more 



6 GOLF IN AMERICA 

important accomplishment of archery, 
that the Scotch Parliament felt called 
upon to interfere. Accordingly, in 
1457, it was "decreeted and ordained 
that . . . the Fute-ball and Golf be 
utterly cryit doune and nocht usit and 
that the bowe-merkis be maid at ilk 
paroche kirk a pair of buttis and schut- 
ting be usit ilk Sunday." But this was 
obviously when golf was in its prime, 
when the game was flourishing to a 
marked degree; we can hardly suppose 
that it would have engaged the atten- 
tion of Parliament otherwise. It is the 
source of the game which is the chief 
stumbling-block; its connection with 
the ancient Dutch game of "kolf;" with 
"chole," another game very old in 
Belgium and the North of France; or 
again, with '' Pali-Mall," a favorite pas- 
time of Mary Stuart. These questions, ' 
and others, have given rise to some V 
courageous conjecture upon the part of \ 
its historians; the absence of authentic 1 
records being frequently but so many I 
"bunkers" to be surmounted by the 1 



GOLF IN AMERICA 7 

explanatioij most sympathetic to each 
writer. 

It was doubtless the evident desire 
upon the part of these antiquarians to 
cause the origin of the game to be set 
at the earliest possible date which led 
SirW. G. Simpson, in his "Art of Golf," 
to write as follows : 

" It is not likely that further research will unearth 
the discoverer of golf. Most probably a game so sim- 
ple and natural in its essentials, suggested itself 
gradually and spontaneously to the bucolic mind. A 
shepherd tending his sheep would often chance upon 
a round pebble, and, having his crook in his hand, he 
would strike it away ; for it is as inevitable that a man 
with a stick in his hand should aim a blow at any 
loose object lying in his path as that he should breathe. 
" On pastures green this led to nothing; but once on 
a time (probably) a shepherd, feeding his sheep on a 
links — perhaps those of St. Andrews — rolled one of 
these stones into a rabbit scrape. ' Marry,' he 
quoth, ' I could not do that if I tried ' — a thought (so 
instinctive is ambition) which nerved him to the 
attempt. But a man cannot long persevere alone in 
any arduous undertaking, so our shepherd hailed 
another, who was hard by, to witness his endeavor. 
' Forsooth, that is easy,' said the friend, and trying, 
failed. They now searched in the gorse for as round 
stones as possible, and, to their surprise, each found 



8 GOLF IN AMERICA 

an old golf-ball, whicli, as the reader knows, are to be 
found there in considerable quantity even to this day. 
Having deepened the rabbit scrape so that the balls 
might not jump out of it, they set themselves to prac- 
ticing putting. The stronger, but less skillful shepherd, 
finding himself worsted at this amusement, protested 
that it was a fairer test of skill to play for the hole 
from a considerable distance. This being arranged, 
the game was found to be much more varied and in- 
teresting. They had at first called it ' putty,' because 
the immediate object was to putt or put the ball into 
the hole or scrape, but at the longer distance, what we 
call driving was the chief interest, so the name was 
changed to 'go off,' or 'golf.' The sheep having 
meantime strayed, our shepherds had to go after 
them. This proving an exceedingly irksome interrup- 
tion, they hit upon the ingenious device of making a 
circular course of holes, which enabled them to play 
and herd at the same time. The holes being now 
many and far apart, it became necessary to mark their 
whereabouts, which was easily done by means of a 
tag of wool from a sheep attached to a stick, a primi- 
tive kind of flag still used on many greens almost in its 
original form, 

" Since these early days the essentials of the game 
have altered but little." 

This to US is as satisfactory as other 
accounts of the origin of the game, and 
certainly more amusing. 

However this may be, it is certain 



GOLF IN AMERICA 9 

that golf was popular in Scotland in the 
middle of the fifteenth century. From 
that time on its early history is told in 
occasional enactments of Parliament, in 
city records and church registers, and 
from the extracts of the minutes of the 
old golf clubs of Scotland. It is evident 
from these sources that golf was a mat- 
ter of serious importance and enthusias- 
tically enjoyed by the inhabitants in the 
North country. Parliament could make 
laws utterly crying it down, but the re- 
peated enactments of a like character at 
short intervals of time are an evidence 
that it was one thing to make the laws 
and another to carry them out. Four- 
teen years after the statute of 1457, it 
was decreed that " Ilk yeman that can 
nocht deil with the bow that he haf a 
gude ax and a targe of leddir to resist 
the shot of Ingland, quhillk is na cost 
but the value of a hide, and that the 
Fute-ball and Golf be abusit in tyme 
coming " (Act of 147 1), and again twenty 
years afterwards: '* That in na place of 
the realms there be usit Fute-ball Golf, 



10 GOLF IN AMERICA 

or uther sik unpro'fitabill sportis under 
the pain of fourtie shillinges to be raised 
be the schireffe and baillies foresaid." 
But the people paid little attention. 
Doubtless the schireffe and baillies were 
as much engrossed in the game as their 
neighbors and forgot to add to the 
treasury of the Crown. Perhaps the 
king himself put it into their minds to 
be lenient, for interest in the game ex- 
tended from high to low, and he too, in 
spite of his statutes, was its devoted ad- 
herent. 

The House of Stuart as a whole was 
greatly given over to golf, James VI of 
Scotland being perhaps more wrapt up 
in it than any of the rest. It appears 
that in his time the church-going of the 
good people upon the Sabbath day had 
become endangered. Proclamations 
were passed by the Town Council of 
Edinburgh at the end of the sixteenth 
century, ''that na inhabitants of the 
samyn be sene at any pastimes or gamis 
within or without the town on the 
Sabbath day, sic as Grolf." Another en- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 11 

actment about the same time begins as 
follows: Whereas "dyvers inhabitants 
of this burg repairs upon the Sabbath 
day to the town of Leyth and in tyme 
of sermonis are seen vagant athort the 
streets drynking in tavernis, or other- 
ways at Golf," they are admonished to 
desist under a penalty of forty shillings. 

As an instance of certain ones who 
were caught, so to speak, red-handed, 
the following extract from the Register 
of the Kirk Session of Humbie is quoted : 

''April 27, 165 1. The which day 
James Rodger, Johne Rodger, Johne 
Howdan, Andrew Howdan and George 
Patersone, were complained upon for 
playing at the Golf upon one Lord's 
day ; were ordained to be cited the next 
day. 

"May 4. The which day compeired 
the aforementioned persons, and con- 
fessed thair prophaning of the Lord's 
day by playing at the Golf; were or- 
dained to mak publick repentance the 
next day. 

" The which day Johne Howdan was 



12 GOLF IN AMERICA 

deposed from his office, being ane dea- 
con." 

Register of the Kirk Sessions of 
Hnmbie. 

Records such as the above were of 
frequent occurrence in the minutes of 
the city councils and of the church regis- 
ters of St. Andrews, Perth, Leith, and 
Stirling. 

It is unnecessary, however, to quote 
further details to show that the people 
were given to turning their faces towards 
the links of a Sunday, in which respect 
perhaps the times are not altogether 
changed. James VI was the author 
of an excellent compromise in the matter 
which is suggested to the governing 
committees of the golf clubs of to-day. 
Seeing that play continued on the Sab- 
bath, whether or no, he arranged it that 
after the end of the divine service the 
good people should be at liberty to en- 
gage in such harmless recreations as 
were lawful, but this privilege was not 
extended '' to any that are not present 
in the church at the service of God be- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 13 

fore their going to the said recreations." 
Just how this arrangement was carried 
out we are left to conjecture. Probably 
one of the many duties of the green- 
keeper was to stand at the church door 
and mark off the worshipers as they 
entered. Another friendly act which 
James VI performed was done in the 
interests of the Scotch ball-maker. 
About this time (1618) the Scotch were 
importing their golf balls so largely 
from Holland that the king, for the 
protection of home manufacture, caused 
a prohibitive tariff to be placed on the 
foreign importation. 

This importation of balls from Holland 
has given rise to the idea that the game 
itself was brought from that country. 
This seems no more probable, however, 
than to suppose that it was carried to 
Holland by the Scotch, which is cer- 
tainly a more sympathetic view. Golf 
to-day is a game, above all, of the Scots, 
and we naturally lean to the belief, if 
possible, that it had its rise in what is 
to-day its chief home. 



14 GOLF IN AMERICA 

The pastime of James VI was that 
also of his sons, Henry, Prince of Wales, 
and Charles I of England. Concerning 
the latter it is told that while engaged 
in play upon the links of Leith, a letter 
was put into his hands telling him of 
the uprising and rebellion in Ireland. 
He was an ardent supporter of the game, 
but on reading the news, we may well 
imagine that the day's sport ended 
abruptly. 

Still continuing in the direct line, we 
find that the Duke of York, afterwards 
James II of England, was particularly 
given over to the pleasure of golf. The 
first mention of a fore-caddie, who ran 
ahead to mark where the ball fell, is 
made in connection with the boy who 
performed this service for James II be- 
fore he ascended the throne and was too 
much given over to affairs of state to 
play the Scotch game. Betting also was 
largely indulged in in those days, and, as 
an instance, the story is told of a match 
game between the Duke of York and 
John Patersone, a Scotch shoemaker, on 



I 



GOLF IN AMERICA 15 

the one side, and two English noblemen 
upon the other. A dispute had arisen 
as to whether England or Scotland could 
justly claim to be the original home of 
golf. One thing led to another, and the 
outcome of the discussion was a challenge 
from the Englishmen to play a foursome 
with the Duke of York and any Scotch- 
man as his partner whom he might 
choose. The Duke chose as his part- 
ner one John Patersone, a shoemaker, 
whose prowess upon the links was 
known far and wide. The result justi- 
fied his choice. We are not told by 
what score the Englishmen were beaten, 
nor of the exact amount wagered upon 
the outcome. That it was no small sum 
we can be sure from the fact that the 
Duke of York presented Patersone with 
one-half of the stakes, and the shoemaker 
thereupon built himself " a comfortable 
house in the Canongate " with the money 
which he received, which house is still 
standing in the Canongate at Edinburgh. 
In mentioning these golfing incidents 
concerning the House of Stuart, the 



16 GOLF IN AMERICA 

fact that Mary Queen of Scots, the un- 
fortunate mother of James VI, was also 
a player, should not be passed over. It 
was, according to her enemies, but a 
few days after the death of Darnley that 
she "was seen playing- golf and pall-mall 
in the fields beside Seton." Whether 
this incident was an invention of her 
enemies told to accentuate her indiffer- 
ence to Darnley's fate is uncertain, but 
it tends to show that women as well as 
men have engaged in the game from the 
earliest periods, and is certainly of in- 
terest in that connection. 

Thus the term ' * A Royal and Ancient 
Game" is no misnomer. If further 
evidence is sought to support the well- 
known title, it may be added that in 
1834 King William IV became Patron 
of the St. Andrews Club, and in 1863 
the present Prince of Wales was elected 
Captain by acclamation. 

Dr. Johnson, David Garrick and the 
Earl of Montrose must not be forgotten. 
They are all to be numbered amongst 
the famous players of golf. Whether 



GOLF IN AMERICA 17 

they played famous golf is quite another 
question. The last-named was educated 
at the ancient university at St. Andrews, 
and, when a student, learned his game 
upon the links in that part of the coun- 
try. 

From those times to the present day 
golf in Scotland has continued to be a 
favorite pastime and the links at St. 
Andrews, Musselburgh, and Prestwick 
have always been the headquarters of 
the game. 

In England, however, its growth has 
been comparatively recent. Indeed, 
golf was played but little there no less 
than twenty years ago. Blackheath was 
founded, it is true, far back in 1608, and 
became the scene of golf when James 
VI of Scotland came from the North to 
assume the title of James I of England. 

But from that date until 1864 it may 
be said that the game was not played at 
all in England. 

In this year (1864) Westward Ho ! 
sprang into existence; a year later the 
Royal Wimbledon Golf Club was foun- 



18 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ded. Hoylake, near Liverpool, soon fol- 
lowed, and the revival of the old Scot- 
tish game was well under way. If it 
took the Englishmen a long time to de- 
cide to take up the game, certainly no 
complaint may be made of the enthusi- 
asm with which they enter into it to-day. 
Slowly at first and then with greater 
rapidity links sprang up in every direc- 
tion, both at the sea and inland, and so 
fast has been their growth that to-day 
golf has practically spread itself over 
the entire country of England. 

To attempt to enumerate these clubs 
would go far towards filling this little 
volume alone, and yet a few words con- 
cerning the most prominent may not be 
out of place here. 

In Scotland there are many of great 
age. The Edinburgh Burgess Golfing 
Society (1735) ^^^ The Hon. Company 
of Edinburgh Golfers (1744) are two of 
the oldest. The most famous by far, 
however, is the Royal and Ancient Golf 
Club of St. Andrews (1754). St. An- 
drews is the Mecca towards which all 



GOLF IN AMERICA 19 

golfers naturally turn. By tacit consent 
it prescribes the playing rules and 
establishes the etiquette of the game, 
and nearly all the golf players of note 
in Great Britain are amongst its mem- 
bers. Old " Tom Morris," probably the 
best known golfer of to-day, came to 
the club in 1859 to take the place of 
Allan Robertson, the former green- 
keeper, and although somewhat past his 
seventieth year his skill and strength 
are with him still. In the early days of 
the club (1766) it was the custom for 
the members to meet once a fortnight 
and to play a round of the links, then to 
dine together, and ' ' that they should pay 
each a shilling for his dinner, the absent 
as well as the present." The penalty for 
paying a caddie a greater sum than six- 
pence for a round of the course was two 
pint bottles of claret, to be paid by the 
transgressor at the first meeting at which 
he should attend. The Captain, too, was 
liable for a couple of pints in case he 
failed to put in his appearance at any of 
the meetings held throughout the year. 



20 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Instances in the minutes of the club are 
frequent showing that the rule as to 
penalties in the matter of claret was no 
dead-letter law, and that the club was a 
sporting and genial company. The 
society adopted, as early as 1780, red 
coats, which were to be considered the 
uniform of the club. Its memories are 
without number. In 1837, King William 
IV, who two or three years previous had 
become the patron of the club, presented 
to it a Gold Medal, with Green Ribband, 
with the request that it be played for 
annually. From that day to this the 
winner of the Gold Medal has been 
looked upon as obtaining one of the 
greatest golfing honors of the year. 
In 1855 it was won by George Glennie, 
with the remarkable, score of 88. For 
twenty-nine years this achievement was 
not bettered, until in 1884, Horace G. 
Hutchinson became the winner with a 
score of 87. So greatly, however, has 
interest in the game spread during the 
past ten years, and so large has been 
the number to take it up during that 



GOLF IN AMERICA 21 

time, that not once since 1884 has the 
Gold Medal been won in less than 87, 
and in 1893, S. Mure Fergusson's 79 
entirely eclipsed all previous efforts in 
this competition. 

As has been already stated, the records 
of the Hon. Company of Edinburgh 
Golfers ante-date even those of the 
St. Andrews Club. The date of the 
institution of this famous organization 
is lost in antiquity, but as far back as 
1744 there appears a list of those who 
are to play for the Silver Club. The 
competitors were twelve in number and 
a curious custom of the times was that 
the defeated candidates were accustomed 
always to add their signatures to the 
statement in the record book, giving the 
name of the winner and the details of 
the competition. Evidence also exists 
to show that here, as well as in the case 
of the St. Andrews Club, a spirit of 
good fellowship and good cheer existed 
from the beginning. 

" Leith, Nov. 16, 1776. 
" This day Lieutenant James Dalrym- 



22 GOLF IN AMERICA 

pie of the 43rd Regiment, being con- 
victed of playing five different times 
without his uniform was fined only in 
Six Pints, having confessed the heinous- 
ness of his crime. ,,j^_ ^^^^^^ 

" At his own request he was fined three 
Pints more." — Extract from the Min- 
utes. 

It was the rule that the members 
should dine in uniform at every public 
meeting of the club, and that they should 
likewise appear in uniform when at play 
upon the links. The fine for the in- 
fraction of this, or indeed any rule it 
would appear, consisted in the usual 
pint at the expense of the offender. For 
many years the home of this club was 
at Musselburgh, but on May 2, 1891, its 
new green at Muirfield was opened for 
play, and in 1892, the Open Champion- 
ship was played there for the first time. 

The clubs of St. Andrews, Prestwick, 
and The Hon. Company of Edinburgh 
Golfers, all of them Scotch clubs, were 
the original donors in 1872 of the trophy 
which is to-day played for in the great 



GOLF IN AMERICA 23 

Open Championship meeting of the year, 
and until 1894 the yearly meeting was 
always held upon the course of one of 
these clubs. " Prestwick, St. Andrews, 
Musselburgh" was the order of rotation, 
as will be seen by a glance at the list of 
the winners of the Open Championship 
Cup, a few pages further on. Last 
year, however, the number of players 
in England and the broadspread popu- 
larity of the game there was sufficient to 
cause a change, and for the first time an 
English links (Sandwich) was chosen as 
the battle-ground of the Open Cham- 
pionship meeting. 

One other Scotch club should certainly 
be mentioned in passing, and that is 
Prestwick. Of all the golf-links in 
England or Scotland, this perhaps is 
the most picturesque. The beauty of 
the striking features of the surrounding 
scenery forces itself upon the golfer in 
spite of himself. The course is hilly 
and faced with bold precipitous cliffs, 
and the hazards are upon a grand scale, 
as the name, *'The Himalayas," given 



24 GOLF IN AMERICA 

to one of them indicates. As a golf 
links, Prestwick holds the position in 
the west of Scotland that St. Andrews 
does in the east. The record for the 
course, 77, is held by Willie Campbell, 
who was formerly connected with 
Musselburgh and later with Prestwick. 
The same player, by the way, in a 
match with Willie Park in 1886, for 
^25 a side, holed out the four rounds 
at Musselburgh in 152, which is 3 strokes 
less than the championship over that 
course has ever been taken in. 

There are, of course, many famous 
Scotch links other than the three just 
mentioned — Bruntsfield, North Berwick, 
Carnoustee, Troon, Montrose, Elie, and 
a hundred others. 

In England the number of golfing 
clubs is legion, and of these The Royal 
North Devon Golf Club (of which the 
links are known as Westward Ho!), 
Hoylake, and Sandwich, are amongst 
the best known. To the first-named 
belongs the honor of spreading the 
game among the present generation 



GOLF IN AMERICA 25 

of Englishmen. Early in the sixties 
(1864) the club was formed and a course 
laid out on the North Devon Coast. 
Those were in primitive days, when 
there was no clubhouse, but all that is 
changed now. 

Hoylake is the Liverpool home of 
golf, being situated on the Cheshire side 
of the Mersey. This club being founded 
in 1869 was only a few years after West- 
ward Ho ! in point of time. If to West- 
ward Ho! can be given the credit for 
taking up the Scotch game and dis- 
seminating it through England, to Hoy- 
lake belongs the honor of having insti- 
tuted, in 1 88 5, the amateur championships 
which are to-day so great a success. 
The putting-greens of this course are 
known far and wide for their excellence. 
The course is thought by many to be 
somewhat tame, but it is the home of 
good golf, nevertheless, having produced 
Mr. John Ball, Jr., and Mr. H. H. 
Hilton, the only two amateurs to win an 
open championship since its foundation 
in 1872. 



26 GOLF IN AMERICA 

If the course at Hoylake is a little 
tame, the same can certainly not be 
said of Sandwich, for the Sandwich 
course is reputed to be one of the 
most difficult in Great Britian. The 
feature of the course is the " Maiden," 
a high sand-hill on the the near side of 
which yawns a deep sand-pit forming a 
hazard well known to all golf players in 
England. In 1892 the Amateur Cham- 
pionship was held at Sandwich, John 
Ball, Jr., being the winner, and two years 
later the Open Championship, as has been 
said, was also played upon the Sandwich 
links. This certainly is an excellent 
showing for a club hardly ten years 
old. 

Great Yarmouth, Lancaster, Wimble- 
don, Tooting Bee, are all well known, 
not to mention Blackheath, the ancient 
forerunner of them all. 

Over in Ireland the chief clubs are 
Portrush, Newcastle, and Holywood. 
Further South there are Dollymount, 
and nearer Belfast, the Kinnegar, where 
the first golf in Ireland was played. Of 



GOLF IN AMERICA 27 

these, Portrush, in Ulster County, not far 
from the Giant's Causeway, is the best 
known, being the scene of the Irish 
Championships. 

A list of clubs, such as has been 
given in the last few pages, however in- 
complete it may be, should certainly in- 
clude the clubs at Biarritz and Pau. The 
course at Pau is excellent. The golf 
club there has been in existence nearly 
half a century, and the French caddies 
generally pick up sufficient golf talk to 
enable them and the English visitors to 
come to a mutual understanding. 

It is impossible of course to give here 
anything like a complete list of the golf 
clubs in Great Britain. From latest ac- 
counts they number in the vicinity of 
eight hundred. The increase during the 
past few years has been something mar- 
velous. A few of the chief ones only 
have been jotted down, and more espe- 
cially those under whose auspices the 
championship meetings have been held. 

There are two great golf meetings of 
the year in Great Britain — the Open 



28 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Championship, open to amateurs and 
professionals alike; and the Amateur 
Championship. The history of these 
meetings is not without interest, and as 
the Amateur Championship is a very 
recent institution (1886), we shall speak 
of the Open Championship first. 

Prior to i860 there was no champion- 
ship of any kind in Great Britain. In 
i860 what was known as the ** Champion- 
ship Belt " was offered by the Prestwick 
Club, on the west coast of Scotland, 
under the condition that if won three 
times in succession, it should become 
the property of the one so winning it. 
This trophy lasted, as will be seen by the 
appended table of winners, until 1870. 



i860 W. Park, Score 


for 36 


holes 


174 


1861 Tom Morris, Sen., " 




« 


163 


1862 




« 


163 


1863 W.Park, 




(C 


168 


1864 Tom Morris, Sen., " 




«' 


1 60 


1865 A. Strath, « 




« 


162 


1866 W. Park, 




« 


169 


1867 Tom Morris, Sen., '< 




" 


170 


1868 Tom Morris, Jun., " 




« 


154 


1869 « « " 




c< 


167 


1870 " " " 




" 


149 


Thus in 1870 the Championship 


Belt 



GOLF IN AMERICA 29 

passed into the private ownership of 
Tom Morris, Jr. In 187 1 no trophy 
was competed for, and in 1872 the St. 
Andrews Club, The Hon. Company of 
Edinburgh Golfers, and the Prestwick 
Golf Club offered, jointly, the Champion- 
ship Cup, which is still played for in open 
competition between amateurs and pro- 
fessionals. Tom Morris, Jr. , again was the 
winner, but the donors of the cup had 
allowed for no provision by which the 
cup could ever be won outright. Had the 
conditions been the same as in the case 
of the Championship Belt, it would have 
lasted a short, time only, as Jamie Ander- 
son won his third successive victory in 
1879. It will be noticed that prior to 
1894 the Open Championship meeting 
was always held upon the links of one of 
the clubs donating the cup. Needless 
to say that at these meetings the play is 
of the first order, and the names of Tom 
Morris, Jr. (who is no longer living), 
Jamie Anderson, Bob Fergusson, and 
Hugh Kirlkaldy are known from one end 
of England and Scotland to the other. 



30 



GOLF IN AMERICA 



m^_ 






pHmS^MSpHSSFMaoSPHOQSPHMSPHMS^i 



) O 1^ O C<1 O T 



.10<0 CD 0<M C 



. .as .. . .sss^g .3 s^ a o . o . 



a o fl i 






i o o c 






o 3 



:^p;«p:h 



iS 



GOLF IN AMERICA 31 

To Hoylake, as has been said, belongs 
the credit of instituting the Amateur 
Championship. In 1885, although there 
was no representative organization to 
whom would naturally belong the power 
of holding an amateur championship, a 
very successful meeting was held upon 
the Hoylake links. Players from 
various clubs competed, and Mr. Macfie, 
the winner, was acknowledged to be the 
first player in a thoroughly representa- 
tive field of amateurs. This led to the 
institution of the Amateur Champion- 
ship in 1886, and in that year the initial 
recognized meeting was held under the 
auspices of the St. Andrews Club. 
For two years Mr. Horace G. Hutchin- 
son headed the list of amateur players, 
but of the last seven competitions Mr. 
John Ball, Jr., of Hoylake, has won four 
in addition to winning laurels in the 
Open Meeting and in the Irish Champion- 
ships. There are many fine amateur 
players in England and Scotland who 
play very close, one to the other : Stuart, 
Laidlay, Hilton, Mure-Fergusson, Mac- 



32 



GOLF IN AMERICA 



fie, Blackwell, Tait, Hutchinson, and 
John Ball, Jr., but the last-named, 
from all accounts, stands a little ahead 
of them all. 

WINNERS OF AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP. 



887 



Mr, Horace G. Hutchinson 
Mr. Horace G. Hutchinson 

Mr. John Ball, Jr 

Mr. J. E. Laidlay 

Mr. John Ball, Jr 

Mr. J. E. Laidlay 

Mr. John Ball, Jr 

Mr. P. C. Anderson 

Mr. John Ball, Jr 



WHERE PLAYED. 



St. Andrews. 

Hoylake. 

Prestwick. 

St. Andrews. 

Hoylake. 

St. Andrews. 

Sandwich. 

Prestwick. 

Hoylake. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 



PART II. 

The story of the birth and rapid 
growth of the game of golf in this coun- 
try should not in these first years of its 
existence be overlooked. There are to- 
day, at a conservative estimate, some 
seventy-five clubs in the United States 
which maintain golf links. They do 
not all, it is true, exist entirely for the 
game of golf. Some of them are coun- 
try clubs, others are clubs where ath- 
letics of a general character are en- 
couraged ; but golf has found a home in 
these many households. This has oc- 
curred chiefly within the last year or 
two. The St. Andrews Club was in. 
corporated in 1888, the Shinnecock 
Hills Club in 1890; but amongst nearly 
all the other clubs, the game is hardly 
more than a year or two old. Yet it 
has already been established upon a firm 
foundation and given recognition by the 



34 GOLF IN AMERICA 

organization of a National Golfing Asso- 
ciation ; and with the stimulus which this 
association will surely give, the coming 
summer (1895) will certainly see the 
game branching out in every direction. 
It was early in the year 1888 that the 
founders of the St. Andrews Golf Club 
of Yonkers took up golfing as a pastime. 
The membership of the club is now full, 
and for a considerable time a long list 
of applicants for admission have been 
knocking at the door. The club, how- 
ever, had its small beginnings, and can 
look back to the time when Mr. Robert 
Lockhardt came with his clubs upon his 
back and initiated Mr. John Reid to the 
mysteries of the ancient and royal game. 
Mr. Reid was so taken with the new 
game that he speedily initiated J. B. 
Upham, H. O. Tallmadge, H. Holbrook 
and others. On Nov. i8th, 1888, it was 
decided to form a golf club and to call 
it The St. Andrews Golf Club of Yon- 
kers, and Mr. Reid was elected presi- 
dent, which ofi&ce he continues to hold. 
The club proceeded to lay out links 



GOLF IN AMERICA 35 

consisting of six holes about one hun- 
dred and fifty to two hundred and fifty- 
yards apart, and spent two or three 
years in playing the game upon their 
first course, until they were forced to 
abandon it. Another six-hole course 
was laid out which had longer holes and 
better greens. Over this course the 
club played for two years, until the land 
was sold for building. The game had 
in the meantime become so popular, 
that it was decided to make a move to 
secure a permanent home. The country 
about Yonkers was looked over, and 
eventually it was decided to rent the 
Odell Farm upon the Saw Mill river 
road. The present clubhouse and links 
are the result. The house has been 
thoroughly fitted up as a club, and is most 
comfortable. The present links consist 
of nine holes. This hardly gives a fair 
idea of its length, however, as it is cer- 
tainly an extremely long course for this 
number of holes. It is intended, during 
the coming season, to increase the num- 
ber to eighteen. The country is rolling. 



36 GOLF IN AMERICA 

the hills fairly high, and the hazards 
consist of high stone walls, sunken roads, 
and artificial bunkers. The soil, like 
most inland courses, is of clay, which is 
certainly not as favorable as is the more 
sandy soil to be found upon links near 
the sea; but for all that, the St. 
Andrews course is a good one, and is 
constantly improving, owing to the 
number of those who are continually 
playing over it. These details are 
jotted down here with regard to the 
various clubs which are mentioned, be- 
cause it is pleasant as time goes on to 
be able to look back at the beginning of 
things, and because these times form a 
starting-point in the history of golf in 
this country. 

For natural fitness and suitability, no 
links in the country can be said to excel 
those of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. 
It has already been said that the ground 
which one finds upon links by the sea 
is always apt to be more favorable for 
the game than that upon an inland 
course. Not only does the sandy soil 



GOLF IN AMERICA 37 

drink in water with great rapidity, but 
the formation of the country is more 
likely to be that of low, rolling hills, 
admirably adapted to the game. The 
course at Shinnecock Hills extends over 
some two or three miles of excellent 
turf, affording fine lies for the ball 
and abounding in hazards and bunkers. 
The game of golf can hardly be played 
to the greatest advantage upon a course 
entirely devoid of sand bunkers, and 
it is here that these exist in abun- 
dance. The clubhouse is built upon the 
summit of one of the hills, and from 
the piazzas on either side are seen 
Peconic Bay to the north, and to the 
south, Shinnecock Bay, cut off from the 
ocean merely by a narrow strip of sand 
dunes. On either side are the rolling 
hills and valleys which makes the forma- 
tion of this particular part of the island 
so unique. No trees exist to break the 
graceful outlines of the hills, and in the 
fall of the year they assume that fine 
purple coloring which is characteristic 
of the country similarly situated in 



38 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Scotland. But these things are not for 
the true golfer. 

Starting from the teeing ground near 
the clubhouse, your first stroke will 
carry you over the windmill and your 
ball should fall upon favorable ground 
for a brassey shot. With the road 
cleared, an approach shot lands you 
easily upon the green, and he who is 
new to the course feels perhaps that 
the difficulties of the course to be over- 
come are not sufficiently great. The 
second hole, though by no means the 
hardest, is certainly more difficult than 
the first. Two artificial bunkers are so 
placed that a short drive receives cer- 
tain punishment, and a long one may 
land the player in a hollow ridge of 
sand should his judgment of distance be 
not carefully exercised. With his ball 
lying upon an upward slope, a full iron 
shot will land him well over the hill and 
across a yawning bunker, into which 
many fall daily, and he will find himself 
upon the green close to the little bell 
tower built at the crossing of the rail- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 39 

road. A good driver will have little 
difficulty at the next hole, though a poor 
one runs a very fair chance of dropping 
his ball upon the railroad track. Even 
so, the green is not far off ; it lies 
in a big hollow not unlike the Devil's 
Punch Bowl, upon the Morristown links. 
Once more across the railroad track, but 
this time not so easily, for anything but 
a long full drive will place the player in 
a position of disadvantage, unless per- 
haps he chooses to land his ball upon the 
sloping ground of the hill a little to the 
left. The railroad track, built upon an 
embankment of sand, forms an excellent 
hazard upon these links, and is crossed 
no less than four times before the eighth 
hole is reached. Even the golfer will be 
pardoned, as he stands upon the teeing 
ground for the fifth hole, if he stop for 
a moment to look around him. From no 
point is the course seen to better advan- 
tage, except perhaps from the piazza of 
the clubhouse. To the left lies Shinne- 
cock Bay, with the ocean beyond; on 
the right Peconic Bay; beyond that, 



40 GOLF IN AMERICA 

the northern shore of Long Island. 
Stretched out in front of him are the 
rolling hills, and in the distance the 
wooded lands immediately surrounding 
the Shinnecock Lighthouse, the first 
light seen by incoming European steam- 
ers ; behind are the woods that stretch for 
miles along the shores of Peconic Bay. 
The long sloping ground down to the 
bastion at the next hole gives kindly 
encouragement that a good drive will 
land the ball well upon the green ; but 
the bastion is a formidable bunker, and 
in combination with the falling ground 
immediately beyond the green presents 
opportunity for accurate driving more 
than at any other place through- 
out the course. On the sixth hole the 
player once more crosses the railroad 
track as a hazard and climbs a steep 
hill to the south, where again there is 
a danger of overplaying the hole, which 
is placed directly upon the summit. The 
seventh is the longest hole upon the 
course, and one will do very well to 
make it in six, though an expert can 



GOLF IN AMERICA 41 

accomplish it in five. The drive for the 
eighth is a short one; indeed, a cleek 
or an iron is sufficient to carry the ball 
upon the green. But woe betide the 
player who fails to lift his ball over the 
steep embankment of the railroad. This 
hole has been done in two and again 
it has been done in twenty. From this 
point the next six holes run in the shape 
somewhat of an isosceles triangle 
across the hills directly to the west and 
back, and partake of the general char- 
acter of the course. These holes have 
just been added, but the natural fitness 
of the ground shows that they will need 
but little care to be made as good as 
the rest of the course. The last two 
holes, the seventeenth and eighteenth, 
will be done in four each by a good 
player; the drive for the eighteenth 
is always a test even for the longest 
driver. It is possible to reach the sum- 
mit of the hill near the green in one, 
but it is a feat which is talked of for sev- 
eral days afterwards ; the man who has 
performed it needless to say joining 



42 GOLF IN AMERICA 

in the conversation. Throughout the 
course, the turf is good and elastic, and 
the bunkers and hazards numerous, and 
so placed that no matter how good may 
be the lie of the ball, a poor shot is apt 
to be punished. 

The organization of the Shinnecock 
Hills Golf Club was due in large part 
to the efforts of Mr. Edward S. Mead, 
Gen. T. H. Barber, and Mr. S. L. 
Parrish. At the time when it was de- 
termined to acquire grounds for a links, 
and to build a clubhouse, there was no 
other golf club in the country except 
the St. Andrews Golf Club of Yonkers, 
which at that time did not possess a 
clubhouse. It was, consequently, a 
somewhat bold move upon the part of 
the residents of Southamptom to under- 
take the building of a clubhouse and 
the purchase of some fifty acres of land 
for a game which was at that time so 
little known. Davis, the present profes- 
sional of the Newport Golf Club, who 
was at that time in Canada, was asked 
to come to Southampton with a view to 



GOLF IN AMERICA 43 

laying out new links, and the ground at 
present owned by the club was eventu- 
ally chosen and transformed into a golf 
course. It was evident to those who had 
undertaken the matter, that the game, if 
established at Southampton, would be 
successful, and their confidence was not 
misplaced. During the summer of 1891 
the following letter was written and sent 
to the different summer residents of the 
place : 

'* Southampton, August 2 ist, 1891. 
" Dear Sir: 

** Several gentlemen of Southampton 
having become interested in the game 
of golf, engaged a professional player 
connected with the Montreal Golf Club, 
to come here and lay out a golf course. 
Many of those who practiced the game 
while he was here, became interested, 
and are desirous of forming a club. 

' 'The plan, in general terms, is to lease 
for five years (with the privilege of 
purchase) a tract on Shinnecock Hills, 
and to erect thereon a small clubhouse 
and sheds for horses. A meeting will 



44 GOLF IN AMERICA 

be held at Mr. Mead's cottage on Sat- 
urday, August 2 2d, at half -past two 
P.M., to organize a club. You are in- 
vited to be present." 

This letter was signed by eight en- 
thusiasts of the new game, and a full 
meeting was the result, where the con- 
stitution of the club was approved and 
adopted and a Board of Trustees 
elected. The present clubhouse was 
built during the winter following, and 
the spring of 1892 saw the game firmly 
established in its new home; since 
which time the success of the venture in 
establishing the first clubhouse in the 
country devoted exclusively to golf has 
been conclusively shown. There are 
to-day seventy-five members, and in 
the summer season about one hundred 
and fifty subscribers. Two links, the 
eighteen-hole course and the ladies' 
course, are continually used, and in the 
season are crowded with players. 

In the month of September, 1894, a 
tournament was held upon the links at 
the Shinnecock Hills which was re- 



;>-^||f%f>> 




'WILLIE ■ DUNN SEPT. 15, 
DUNN VS CAMPBELL. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 45 

markable chiefly for what was perhaps 
the closest and best match which has 
thus far taken place in this country. 
Willie Dunn and Willie Campbell were 
the contestants. The course is at pres- 
ent an eighteen-hole one, but at the 
time of this match it was twelve holes 
only, and the record for the course was 
established by Dunn on the first round 
of the two rounds which were then 
played. This record, 47, was made, as 
the score of the match shows, as fol- 
lows: 

First Round. — Dunn — 4, 5, 4, 5, 3, 4, 5, 2, 4, 4, 3, 
4—47- 
" " Campbell— 4, 5, 4, 3, 5, 5, 5, 2, 4, 

4, 4, 4—49 
Second Round. — Dunn — $, 3, 5, 5, 4, 5,5,3,5, 4, 
3> 3—50. 
" " Campbell— 7, 5, 4, 4, 3, 5, 6, 3, 

4, 4, 3, 3—51- 
Totals — Dunn, 97 ; Campbell, 1 00. 

Those who witnessed this match were 
enabled to see the game of golf as it 
should be played. Were it not for a 
slip-up by Campbell on the first hole of 



46 GOLF IN AMERICA 

the second a tie would probably have 
resulted. 

The Newport Golf Club was founded 
on January 12th, 1893, and its success 
was assured from the beginning. To this 
club belongs the honor of having 
brought together for the first time the 
amateur players of various other clubs. 
The final match between Mr. McDonald, 
and Mr. Lawrence, of the Newport 
Golf Club, was extremely close and full 
of interest, the former being the winner 
by one stroke only. Neither this tour- 
nament, which occurred in the summer of 
1894, nor that of the St. Andrews Golf 
Club, which was held a month or so 
afterwards, are likely, as time goes on, to 
be viewed in the light of the past as 
championship meetings, for the reason 
that at this time the United States Golf 
Association had not been organized, and 
therefore there was no body representa- 
tive of any number of clubs to which 
would belong the authority to grant a 
championship. A very similar case 
occurred in England in 1885. In that 



GOLF IN AMERICA 47 

year the Royal Liverpool Golf Club 
held a competition upon the Hoylake 
links, to which the title Amateur 
Championship Meeting was given. The 
meeting was a great success, the winner 
being Mr. A. F. Macfie ; but it was not 
until the year following that a formally 
organized amateur championship was 
inaugurated amongst the various promi- 
nent clubs. As a consequence, it seems to 
be universally the view in England that 
the amateur championships (properly 
so called) date from the year 1886, when 
the first formal meeting was held at St. 
Andrews. The situation is very anal- 
ogous to that which has been the case 
in this country. That golf will be a per- 
manent success at Newport is certain. 
An elaborate clubhouse is at present in 
course of erection and the coming season 
will in all probability see it completed. 
Golf at Tuxedo Park, N. Y., is in a 
flourishing condition, the number of 
members belonging to the Tuxedo Golf 
Club approximating a hundred. The 
game was begun there some three years 



48 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ago, though play on the present links 
only dates from July of 1893. The 
course abounds in hazards — the railroad, 
a swamp, stone fences, roads, and a 
brook being amongst them. A new club- 
house has lately been erected at the 
links which consists of nine holes: 
The Orchard, The Railroad, The Dis- 
mal Swamp, The Heavenly Twins, 
The Brown, The Alps, The Devil's 
Hole and House. The record for the 
eighteen holes is 88, made by Dr. E. C. 
Rushmore, the Captain of the green, and 
the course is well looked after by John 
Patrick, the professional of the club. 

Amongst the clubs nearer to the city 
of New York must be mentioned the 
Morris County Golf Club, the member- 
ship of which is limited to women. Men 
are allowed as associate members merely, 
although admitted to the same privi- 
leges as the regular members in the use 
of the clubhouse and grounds. The 
membership in all amounts to between 
four and five hundred, which gives 
an idea of the popularity of the game in 



GOLF IN AMERICA 49 

the vicinity of Morristown, N. J. The 
course is fair, being laid out over rolling, 
uneven ground, already possessing the 
full number of eighteen holes. The 
holes are rather short, varying from one 
hundred to three hundred yards, and the 
putting-greens being somewhat new, are 
not as yet in the best condition. 

The Golf Club of Montclair, not very 
far distant, is another of the New Jersey 
clubs. The history of its foundation is 
that of many of the clubs elsewhere. 
After canvassing around for adherents 
to the cause, informal meetings were 
held, and finally a sufficient number of 
people were obtained. Upon the 8th 
of October, 1894, the club was duly or- 
ganized. Grounds were selected and 
laid out rather hurriedly. Instruction 
was obtained, and a course laid out 
over rolling country, consisting for the 
most part of pasture lands, nine holes 
only being obtainable. Natural haz- 
ards, and very good ones, are numer- 
ous — a wide brook which is crossed 
twice, an old railroad embankment, 



60 GOLF IN AMERICA 

roadways and pieces of bog and bram- 
bles, with fences interspersed here and 
there. The putting-greens, as is the 
case with most new links, could stand 
improvement, but the experiment of 
organizing a club has been a successful 
one, and the members are already look- 
ing forward to obtaining permanent 
grounds and to building a clubhouse. 

The enthusiasm of the ladies in the 
State of New Jersey is certainly an ex- 
ample to the opposite sex. Not only 
the Morris County Club, but the Orange 
Mountain Golf Club, owes its existence 
to their efforts, having been organized 
by a number of the residents in and 
around Orange during the past year. 

Another course in the vicinity of New 
York is that of the Richmond County 
Country Club on Staten Island. This 
is so accessible to the business part of 
New York City that it is sure to become 
one of the popular links of the vicinity. 
It has but nine holes so far, though it is 
intended to increase the number during 
the coming season. Wooden fences, a 



GOLF IN AMERICA 51 

brook, roadways, bushes, and swampy- 
ground contribute excellent hazards. 
The distances are somewhat short, but 
the hilly ground and short grass afEord 
an excellent inland course. 

Upon Long Island the chief club is 
that at the Shinnecock Hills, but the 
game of golf has also obtained a very 
strong hold upon the members of the 
Meadow Brook Hunt Club. This club 
is, as its name indicates, more particu- 
larly a hunt club, but possesses in addi- 
tion very good links laid out over rolling 
country where there is a fine short 
natural turf, and the efforts of the pro- 
fessional of the club. Fox, have met 
with great success in stimulating in- 
terest and enthusiasm. 

Turning from New York to the vicin- 
ity of Boston, we find the Country Club 
of Brookline, and the Essex County 
Club at Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. 
Both these are country clubs having for 
their object the pursuit of various kinds 
of athletic sports, but in both golf has 
obtained an extremely strong footing. 



52 GOLF IN AMERICA 

The professional, for the season of 1894, 
of the Essex County Club, was Willie 
Campbell, of Scotland, who ranks high 
amongst the best players in his own 
country, and has served as an object- 
lesson to the residents of the north 
shore, of what the game of golf really is 
when played by an expert. In the 
matches during the last season with 
Willie Dunn, of the Shinnecock Hills 
Club, it was seen how closely two 
players can be matched in the game. 
There is little to choose between them, 
though Dunn is the more consistent per- 
former, and was thought by those who 
saw them play to be a little the better. 
While the two clubs just mentioned 
are much the most prominent in golf- 
ing matters in that part of the country, 
there are many others thereabouts which 
foster the game. Amongst these may be 
mentioned the Myopia Hunt Club, at 
Hamilton, Mass., where the game was 
started last summer. This club has an 
excellent course, one of the most inter- 
esting in that part of the country, af- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 53 

fording excellent opportunity for driv- 
ing- and brassey work. Numerous stone 
walls and hills, together with a pond, 
form the chief hazards. Interest in the 
game has steadily increased there since 
it was started, and there is no doubt 
but that it is established upon a firm 
foundation. 

One of the less pretentious organiza- 
tions in the vicinity of Boston is the 
Prides Golf Club, at Prides Crossing. 
Several gentlemen owning and control- 
ling grounds in Beverly laid out a 
course there in 1893, and invited their 
neighbors to play. The green became 
popular; it was extended and improved 
and was used by so many that it be- 
came seriously overcrowded. Informal 
matches for cups, offered by members, 
were frequently held, and one of the 
meetings last season between Dunn and 
Campbell was also held upon this 
course. The green is a very pretty one 
in an attractive country; its defect is 
that the distances between the holes are 
short, but certainly the putting-greens 



54 GOLF IN AMERICA 

are amongst the best in that part of the 
country. To those to whom the game 
is new it may be stated that it is cus- 
tomary to name different holes, so that 
instead of being known as hole number 
one, number two, etc., they may have 
some more definite apellation. As an 
instance of the ingenuity which can be 
exercised in this connection, the names 
of the holes upon the links just men- 
tioned are set down here: i, Genesis; 
2, Via Dolorosa; 3, Consolation; 4, Pil- 
grim's Progress; 5, St. John's Wood; 
6, Pons Asinorum; 7, The Pill Box 
(being on the lawn of a noted physician) ; 
8, Toad-i'-th'-hole ; 9, Revelations. A 
list of names such as this, to a golf- 
player, conveys an excellent idea of the 
characteristics of the course at its va- 
rious points. 

Philadelphia, too, has caught the fever. 
The Merion Cricket Club, the German- 
town Cricket Club, and the Philadelphia 
Country Club all have excellent links. 
Of these the most important in this 
connection perhaps is the Philadelphia 



GOLF IN AMERICA 55 

Country Club. The game was started 
here in a small way about two years ago, 
although very little was done in ear- 
nest at that time towards developing a 
good course. This experiment, however, 
of a few adherents of the game brought 
it into more general notice and a regu- 
lar course was laid out and opened to 
the use of the club in the latter part of 
the summer of 1894 and the game met 
with instantaneous success. The course 
is one and a half miles, roughly speak- 
ing, and contains nine holes, and for an 
inland course it is a very good one in- 
deed. The putting-greens are on level 
turf and only need care to be made very 
good. The player has hills to climb, 
stone walls, hedges, and fences to sur- 
mount, and in addition streams to cross 
before completing the round. Starting 
from the teeing ground in front of the 
clubhouse, the direction of play is east- 
ward over a stone wall to the first hole 
at the extremity of the lawn, then west- 
ward over what is known as the Liver- 
pool Jump, and on up the ravine to the 



56 GOLF IN AMERICA 

third hole near the edge of the roads. 
To reach the fourth hole, high lofting 
shots are required, as the course runs 
straight up the hill and over the race- 
track to the east end of the polo grounds. 
A swamp, a stream, and sand-quarry 
are the hazards before the sixth hole is 
reached, and then a long run of five 
hundred yards is made across a stream 
and high grass to the seventh over 
the race-track again, four hundred 
yards to the eighth hole. From the 
eighth the course runs back of the polo 
field and across a road over iron hurdles 
and finally up the lawn to the ninth 
hole near the point of starting. The 
Philadelphia Country Club, it may be 
remarked in passing, has joined the 
United States Golf Association as an 
associate club, which shows that the 
game is well appreciated by its mem- 
bers. 

Turning now to the West we find 
that the city of Chicago has discovered 
the fascination of golf, and has taken 
up the game with characteristic energy 



GOLF IN AMERICA 67 

and enthusiasm. The Chicago Golf 
Club is one of the best known in this 
country, and one of the original five 
associate members of the United States 
Golf Association. It was incorporated 
upon the i8th of July, 1893. In the 
year preceding Mr. Hobart C. Chatfield- 
Taylor had organized a small golf club 
at Lake Forest, on the lake shore, but 
the ground did not extend over more 
than sixteen acres, and it is not a very 
large affair, although still in existence. 
It was a start, however, and in 1893, at 
the time of the World's Fair, there were 
a number of foreigners in Chicago who, 
together with Mr. Charles B. MacDon- 
ald, sought for some ground upon 
which a first-class course could be lo- 
cated. This resulted in the organiza- 
tion of the Chicago Golf Club at Bel- 
mont, about twenty-two miles from the 
city of Chicago, of which in that year 
there were about thirty or forty mem- 
bers, mostly Englishmen and Scotch- 
men. In the spring of 1894, the Fair 
being over, some twenty of the old 



58 GOLF IN AMERICA 

members alone remained, but these few 
induced their friends to see the game 
and soon aroused such interest that it 
was not very long before a membership 
of one hundred and thirty was obtained. 
Such has been the enthusiasm of the 
members that they became dissatis- 
fied with the leased ground at Belmont 
and determined to provide for the es- 
tablishment of a clubhouse and links of 
their own. On the 14th of December, 
1894, the club met and authorized the 
purchase of two hundred acres of land 
at Wheaton, twenty-four miles from 
the city of Chicago, and upon these 
grounds a clubhouse is to be built 
which will have, needless to say, every- 
thing necessary for the furtherment of 
the game. A first-rate professional has 
been obtained, and under the leadership 
of Mr. MacDonald, one of the best 
players in the country, the club and the 
game in that part of the country are 
sure to thrive. 

Further to the west the Country 
Club at Colorado Springs took up golf 




ON THE HILLS. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 59 

in 1 89 1, so that the game from a com- 
parative point of view is already old in 
that part of the country. At present 
the course at Colorado Springs has only 
nine holes; it is to be extended, how- 
ever, to eighteen holes. Starting at 
the clubhouse it extends along the foot 
of Cheyenne Mountain. There was 
some difficulty at first in getting clubs 
and balls, which it was necessary to im- 
port from Scotland and Canada. All 
this by this time is changed. What is 
known to golfing enthusiasts in that 
part of the country as the ' ' disease of 
golf" has taken deep root. Not only 
can Colorado Springs boast of a golf 
course, but there is another, and a very 
good one, near Denver, and the game 
there is becoming more popular every 
day. 

With the continual formation of new 
clubs, it was readily seen last summer 
by those interested that there was need 
of some permanent body to guide the 
affairs of the game. The question of 
the championship was not altogether 



60 GOLF IN AMERICA 

satisfactorily settled during the summer 
of 1894, for the reason, as has been said, 
that there was in existence no association 
sufficiently representative of the various 
clubs to issue a call for a champion- 
ship meeting or to prescribe the rules 
under which it should be held. The 
authority was lacking, and as a conse- 
quence two championship meetings 
were held, one at Newport and the 
other by the St. Andrews Golf Club of 
Yonkers. The former was won by Mr. 
Lawrence, by one stroke only, from Mr. 
MacDonald, the Captain of the Chicago 
Golf Club, and the latter by Mr. Stod- 
dard, of St. Andrews, over Mr. MacDon- 
ald, who finished again directly behind 
the winner. Other tournaments were 
successfully held at Tuxedo, Shinnecock 
Hills, and elsewhere, but the feeling was 
general at the close of the season that 
it would be for the best interests of the 
game that some association of a national 
character should be formed with au- 
thority, in the first instance, to prescribe 
the conditions of the championship meet- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 61 

ings and to hold them under its aus- 
pices, and secondly, to act as a friendly 
guide and arbiter in all other matters 
connected with the game. The organi- 
zation of such an association was per- 
fected on December 24th, 1894. On 
that day representatives from five of 
the leading clubs met and arranged 
the details of organization. There 
were present at the conference The- 
odore A. Havemeyer and Winthrop 
Rutherford, of the Newport Golf Club; 
Thomas H. Barber and S. L. Parrish, 
of the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club; 
Laurence B. Curtis and P. S. Sears, of 
the Country Club of Brookline; John 
Reid and H. O. Tallmadge, of the St. 
Andrews Golf Club of Yonkers; and 
Charles B. MacDonald and J. A. Ryerson, 
of the Chicago Golf Club. The follow- 
ing officers of the new United States 
Golf Association were elected: Presi- 
dent, Theodore A. Havemeyer, New- 
port; First Vice-president, L. B. Curtis, 
Brookline Country Club ; Second Vice- 
president, C. B. MacDonald, Chicago; 



62 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Treasurer, S. L. Parrish, Shinnecock 
Hills; and Secretary, H. O. Tallmadge, 
St. Andrews. A special committee of 
Messrs. MacDonald, Reid, and Barber 
were appointed to draw up a constitution 
and by-laws and to report on playing 
rules, and thus the association became 
a fact. 

It will be seen from a perusal of the 
constitution and by-laws that the sys- 
tem of championships to be adopted is 
the same as that in vogue on the other 
side. Two championship meetings will 
be held yearly: the one an open meet- 
ing, in which professionals and ama- 
teurs will compete upon equal terms, as 
is done in Scotland at Prestwick, Muir- 
field, and St. Andrews, and the other a 
meeting open to amateurs only, such as 
that which was instituted in England in 
1886. There is this difference, how- 
ever, which is an important one: in 
this country all competitors for the 
amateur championships must be mem- 
bers of clubs belonging to the associa- 
tion either as associate or allied mem- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 63 

bers, whereas no such restriction exists 
abroad. It is sufficient there that a 
competitor be vouched for as to his 
amateur standing. 

Again it is to be noticed that no clubs 
beyond those in the United States may 
be admitted to membership, the effect 
of which is to induce all United States 
clubs to join the association either as 
associate or allied members, and to bar 
from competition in the amateur cham- 
pionships the members of Canadian 
clubs. No such restriction exists, how- 
ever, in the conditions governing the 
open championship meeting. This is 
open to professionals and amateurs of 
any country whether the competitors 
be members of any club or not. 

It may not be uninteresting to note 
the feeling in England upon the ques- 
tion of the association of golf clubs in 
general, and of the United States Golf 
Association in particular. 

The following views are expressed 
editorially in Golf, the official golfing 
paper of Great Britain, January 25th, 



64 GOLF IN AMERICA 

1S95 : " We should like to call the atten- 
tion of all golfers who have the highest 
interests of the game at heart, to one or 
two circumstances which have arisen in 
its development since the question of a 
golfers' association was last ventilated 
in these columns. Four years ago the 
desirableness of establishing such an 
association was broached in Golf, and 
the suggested project gave rise to a 
good deal of interesting correspondence. 
The general outcome of the debate was 
this: English golfers, as a rule, were 
in favor of the scheme, but as the pre- 
ponderance of opinion was in the direc- 
tion of desiring the initiative to be taken 
by St. Andrews, a disposition was shown 
not to take any action which would have 
the effect of breaking the great army of 
golfers into two camps — that of the 
North with no association, but with the 
traditions of St. Andrews behind them, 
and that of the South with an associa- 
tion established to govern the game and 
to provide a code of well-drafted rules. 
Since that time the question has been 



GOLF IN AMERICA 65 

frequently discussed, and we have more 
than once made urgent appeals to the 
Royal and Ancient to move in the mat- 
ter by looking the golfing situation all 
over the world fairly and squarely in 
the face. As everybody knows, noth- 
ing has been done to bring about a gen- 
eral federation of golf clubs; and ac- 
cording to all the indications at present 
prevailing, there seems to be no inten- 
tion — one might almost go further 
and say, no desire — on the part of St. 
Andrews and of our leading English 
clubs even to discuss the feasibleness of 
the scheme. 

'*In the meantime, however, the cur- 
rent of vitality has been running strong 
throughout the golfing world. First of 
all, some ^energetic, influential golfers 
have attacked the problem'of a universal 
association for the game in detail. 
They have begun by founding county 
associations for golfing purposes. 
Hampshire led the way; then we had a 
Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs, a Nor- 
folk County Union, a Golf Union for the 



66 GOLF IN AMERICA 

whole of Ireland, and to-day we chroni- 
cle the birth of a Welsh Golfing Union, 
and, most important of all, the founda- 
tion of a National Golf Association for 
America. This is a considerable achieve- 
ment to have been realized in four 
years. It shows not only the marvelous 
popularity of the game, but, above all, 
it indicates how unerringly the leaders 
of these new golfing communities have 
diagnosed the weak spot in the govern- 
ment of golf. They have seen that 
golf, unlike most other sports, is an un- 
wieldy, incohesive congeries of clubs, 
without any central controlling guid- 
ance, with no voice in the making of 
the rules or in the arrangement and fix- 
ing of the amateur and open cham- 
pionships. Everything in the govern- 
ment of golf is haphazard and capricious. 
The rules have been altered and re- 
modeled, not to suit the average con- 
venience of the greatest number, but to 
suit the playing exigencies of one green, 
as in the case, for example, of the ' * lost- 
ball-lost-hole " rule, which is not the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 67 

traditional St. Andrews rule, and is 
not found in the codes of a century 
ago. 

The Americans to-day are beginning 
where we ought to have begun many 
years ago. They adopted the game but 
yesterday, but they have adopted it with 
an ardor tempered by a due sense of the 
practical necessities entailed in its just 
government and regulation." 

The following letter, also from the 
editor of the same paper, is of interest. 
It is addressed to the Secretary of the 
United States Golf Association. 

Golf. 

A Weekly Record of " Ye Royal and Ancient 

Game." 

" Far and Sure." 

80 Chancery Lane, W. C., 
7th March, 1895. 

** Dear Sir: I welcome your account 
of the by-laws and constitution of the 
United States Golf Association with 
great pleasure, and I am delighted to 
see how enthusiastic and practical the 
American golfers are with respect to a 



68 GOLF IN AMERICA 

desirable movement for the govern- 
ment of the game at the outset of its 
early career in the United States. 
Nothing but the greatest good for all 
players concerned, both amateur and 
professional, can result from placing the 
association on such a basis as you have 
adopted. 

"It is a subject in which all golfers on 
this side of the Atlantic take the high- 
est interest, and probably in the course 
of time we may be able to see a visit- 
ing team of American golfers playing 
the pick of our men, as the cricketers 
are now doing in Australia. 

" The Editor, A. J. Robertson." 

At the present writing, the Shinne- 
cock Hills Golf Club, the Newport Golf 
Club, the Country Club of Brookline, 
Mass., the St. Andrews Club of Yonkers, 
the Chicago Golf Club, the Essex County 
Club of Manchester, Mass., and the 
Philadelphia Country Club form the list 
of associate members, and the Rich- 
mond County Country Club of Staten 



GOLF IN AMERICA 69 

Island heads what will doubtless be- 
come a long list of allied members. 

A cup of the value of a thousand 
dollars, to be held for one year by the 
club of which the amateur champion 
is a member, has just been presented 
by the president of the association, and 
the outlook for the success of the organ- 
ization could not be brighter. 

It might be added that the Playing 
Rules as formulated by the St. Andrews 
Club of Scotland have been adopted as 
the rules to govern all contests, with 
the exception that Rules i8 and 29 have 
been modified to meet the requirements 
of the game in this country. The rules 
printed in the Appendix are those 
adopted in toto by the United States 
Golf Association. 



^CONSTITUTION 



UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION. 



ARTICLE I. 

NAME. 

The name of this organization shall 
be " The United States Golf Asso- 
ciation." 

ARTICLE II. 

object. 

The objects of this Association shall 
be to promote interest in the game of 
Golf; the protection of the mutual in- 
terests of its members; to establish and 
enforce uniformity in the rules of the 
game by creating a representative au- 
thority; its Executive Committee to be 
a Court of Reference as a final authority 



GOLF IN AMERICA 71 

in matters of controversy, to establish a 
uniform system of handicapping, to de- 
cide on what links the Amateur and 
Open Championships shall be played. 



ARTICLE III. 

MEMBERS. 

Sec. I. This Association shall consist 
of Associate and Allied Clubs. 

Sec. 2. The following clubs shall be 
Associate members : 

1. Chicago Golf Club. 

2. The Country Club of Brookline, 
Mass. 

3. Newport Golf Club. 

4. St. Andrews Golf Club of Yonkers. 

5. Shinnecock Hills Golf Club of 
Southampton, L. I., and such other 
representative club or clubs as may 
hereafter be admitted as hereinafter 
provided. 

Sec. 3. Allied members shall be such 
regularly organized clubs in the United 



72 GOLF IN AMERICA 

States as shall enter into an alliance 
with this Association as hereinafter pro- 
vided. 



ARTICLE IV. 

CLUBS ELIGIBLE. 

Sec. I. Other clubs eligible to be ad- 
mitted to membership in the Association 
as Associate Clubs shall be any repre- 
sentative clubs in an accessible part of 
the United States where the links, ac- 
commodations, constitution and by-laws 
of the club are such as to make it nation- 
ally representative, and such clubs may 
be admitted on a four-fifths vote of the 
Executive Committee of the Associa- 
tion. 

Sec. 3. Any regularly organized golf 
club in the United States may at any 
time be admitted as an Allied Club by 
a two-thirds vote of the Executive Com- 
mittee upon subscribing to and fulfilling 
the conditions of the Association Consti- 
tution and By-Laws. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 73 

ARTICLE V. 

ANNUAL MEETINGS. 

Sec. I. The regular annual meeting 
of this Association shall be held on some 
day in February in each year, at such 
time and place as may be designated by 
the President, thirty days' notice being 
given and published. 

Sec. 2. Each Associate Club of the 
Association shall have the right to be 
represented by two delegates duly au- 
thorized and their appointment certified 
to by their Club Secretary. 

Sec. 3. Each Allied Club shall have 
the right to be represented by one dele- 
gate, but he shall have no power to vote. 

ARTICLE VI. 

elections. 

Sec. I. At the annual meeting the 
Association shall elect from its Associate 
Clubs a President, two Vice-Presidents, 
a Secretary, and a Treasurer. 



74 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Sec. 2. The election of officers shall 
be by ballot at the annual meeting in 
each year. They shall be voted for 
separately and receive a majority of all 
the votes cast to entitle them to an elec- 
tion, and they shall continue in office 
one year or until their successors be 
elected. 

Sec. 3. At any special or regular 
meeting of this Association seven dele- 
gates shall constitute a quorum repre- 
senting at least three Associate Clubs. 

ARTICLE VII. 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 

Sec. I. The management of this As- 
sociation shall be intrusted to an Execu- 
tive Committee, consisting of the officers 
of the Association. 

QUARTERLY MEETINGS. 

Sec. 2. Regular meetings of the Ex- 
ecutive Committee shall be held at the 
time of the annual meeting, and if neces- 
sary quarterly thereafter, on such dates 



GOLF IN AMERICA 75 

as may be designated by the President, 
fourteen days' notice of which shall be 
given to members. 

SPECIAL MEETINGS. 

Sec. 3. The President may call a 
special meeting of the Executive Com- 
mittee of the Association at such time 
as he may deem expedient, and he shall 
call a special meeting of the Association 
upon the written request of three Asso- 
ciate Clubs within fifteen days of the 
receipt of such request. At special meet- 
ings no other business shall be transact- 
ed than that for which they were called, 
and such business shall be specified in 
the call, which shall be sent out ten days 
previous to the time appointed for the 
meeting. 

PROXIES. 

Sec. 4. Proxies may be voted at all 
meetings of the Association. 

QUORUM OF executive COMMITTEE. 

Sec. 5. Three members shall consti- 
tute a quorum of the Executive Com- 
mittee. 



76 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ARTICLE VIII. 

Sec. I. The President shall preside 
at all meetings of this Association and 
of the Executive Committee. 

A Vice-President shall in the absence 
of the President perform the duties of 
that office. 



ARTICLE IX. 

SECRETARY. 

Sec. I. The Secretary shall keep rec- 
ords of all meetings of this Association 
and of the Executive Committee, and 
he shall issue calls for such meetings. 
He shall keep a roll of membership 
and take charge of all correspondence 
and papers belonging to the Associa- 
tion. In his absence, Secretary pro 
tern, shall fulfill his duties. 

TREASURER. 

Sec. 2. The Treasurer shall collect 



GOLF IN AMERICA 77 

all moneys belonging to the Association 
and dispense the same under the direc- 
tion of the Executive Committee. 

He shall report in writing the state 
of finances when required by the Execu- 
tive Committee, and at the annual meet- 
ing he shall present a written report 
showing all the receipts and expendi- 
tures during the year. 



ARTICLE X. 

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP. 

Applications for Associate and Allied 
membership shall be made in writing to 
the Secretary of the Association, ac- 
companied by a copy of the Constitution 
and By-laws of the Club making the ap- 
plication, a list of officers and a full 
year's dues, and an election shall be held 
at the next meeting of the Executive 
Committe, provided such application 
shall have been filed with the Secretary 
at least fourteen days previous to said 
election. 



78 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ARTICLE XI. 

OBLIGATIONS AND DISCIPLINE. 

Sec. I. The acceptance of member- 
ship in this Association shall bind each 
club to abide by all the conditions of 
the Constitution, By-laws and Rules of 
this Association, and to accept and en- 
force all decisions of the Executive Com- 
mittee within its jurisdiction. 

Sec. 2. Refusing or neglecting a strict 
and honorable compliance with the Con- 
stitution, By-Laws or Rules of this As- 
sociation, or with the decisions of the 
Executive Committee, shall render such 
club or member liable to suspension or 
expulsion by two-thirds vote of the Ex- 
ecutive Committee, from whose decision 
an appeal may be taken to the delegates 
at the annual or special meeting. 

Sec. 3. No club or member, however, 
shall be disqualified or deprived of any 
privilege without due notice and formal 
charges, with specifications, having been 
made, and an opportunity having been 



GOLF IN AMERICA 79 

given to be heard in its or his own de- 
fense. 



ARTICLE XII. 

DUES AND EXPENSES. 

Sec. I. Each Associate Club shall pay- 
to the Treasurer before the annual meet- 
ing $ioo annual dues. 

Sec. 2. Each Allied Club shall pay to 
the Treasurer before the annual meeting 
$25 annual dues. 

Sec. 3. Failure to pay such dues with- 
in the prescribed time shall preclude de- 
linquent clubs from representation or 
voting at any meeting of the Associa- 
tion. 

Sec. 4. The receipts from dues shall 
be devoted to defraying the cost of 
championship medals or other tokens, 
and for printing and other necessary ex- 
penses incurred by the Executive Com- 
mittee in the performance of their du- 
ties. 



80 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ARTICLE XIII. 

FISCAL YEAR. 

Sec. I. The fiscal year shall end on 
the 31st of December. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

AMENDMENTS. 

Sec. I. Amendments to this Consti- 
tution may be made at any annual meet- 
ing by a vote of at least two-thirds of 
all the votes cast, providing twenty days' 
notice has been given associate and allied 
members, stating the proposed revision 
or amendment. 



BY-IvA^?VS 



UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION. 



Sec. I. The following order of busi- 
ness shall be observed at the annual 
meeting of this Ass9ciation : 

(i) Roll call. 

(2) Reading minutes of previous 
meeting. 

(3) Secretary's report. 

(4) Treasurer's report. 

(5) Election of officers and commit- 
tees. 

(6) General business. 

(7) Adjournment. 

Sec. 2. In the event of an appeal from 
an order of discipline imposed by the 
Executive Committee it must be heard 
at the next regular or special meeting 
of the Association, and any member or 
person who is proved, to the satisfaction 



82 GOLF IN AMERICA 

of the Association, to have been guilty 
of fraudulent or discreditable conduct 
of any kind may be declared ineligible 
to compete at any competition, suspend- 
ed or expelled. 

Sec. 3. All complaints or disputes be- 
tween clubs of this Association shall be 
decided by those members of the Execu- 
tive Committee who are in no way con- 
nected with the clubs interested. 

Sec. 4. The Pres'ident shall appoint 
such special committees as shall be found 
necessary. 

Sec. 5. The Executive Committee 
shall interpret the Rules of Golf. 

Sec. 6. The Amateur and Open 
Championship tournaments shall take 
place on the links of an Associate Club, 
in selecting which due consideration 
shall be given to accessibility, accommo- 
dations and condition of course. 

Sec. 7. It shall be determined at the 
annual meeting each year over which 
links the Championship prizes shall be 
contended for that year. 

Sec. 8. The Executive Committee 



GOLF IN AMERICA 83 

may delegate the power of naming the 
time and regulating the order of start- 
ing and determining the handicap of 
players to the Green Committee of the 
club over whose grounds the Associa- 
tion competitions are played, and of ap- 
pointing such other committees as are 
necessary to govern such a competition. 

Sec. 9. An amateur golfer shall be 
a golfer who has never made for sale 
golf clubs, balls, or any other article 
connected with the game; who has 
never carried clubs for hire after attain- 
the age of fifteen years, and who has 
not carried clubs for hire at any time 
within six years of the date on which 
the competition begins ; who has never 
received any consideration for playing 
in a match or for giving lessons in the 
game, and who for a period of five years 
prior to the ist of September, 1890, 
has never contended for a money prize 
in any open competition. 

Sec. 10. Only persons members of 
clubs belonging to the Association, 
season subscribers thereto, and those 



84 GOLF IN AMERICA 

who under the rules of any Associated 
or Allied Club are entitled to the use of 
the links in whole or in part for a period 
not less than the current season, can 
compete for the Amateur Championship, 
and competitors must enter for the com- 
petition through the Secretaries of their 
respective clubs, who, in sending in the 
names, shall be held to certify that the 
players are bona fide Amateur Golfers 
in terms of the foregoing definition. 

Sec. II. In both the Amateur and 
Open Championship Golf competitions 
the entrance fee shall be $5, and must 
be received by the Secretary of the 
Association not later than 6 p.m. one 
week previous to the opening of the 
competition. 

Sec. 12. The Amateur Golf Cham- 
pionship shall be played by holes. The 
Open Golf Championship shall be medal 
play. 

Sec. 13. The competition shall be 
played in accordance with the Rules of 
Golf as adopted by the Royal and An- 
cient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scot- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 85 

land, in 1891, with such special rules as 
are in force and published on the green 
over which the competition takes place. 

Sec. 14. In the Amateur competition 
each game shall consist of one round of 
eighteen holes, with the exception of 
the last or final game, which shall be 
played on a separate day and consist of 
thirty-six holes. 

Sec, 15. The draw shall take place 
three days before competition, and shall 
be conducted as follows: Depending on 
the number of entries, such number of 
byes shall be first drawn as shall after 
the completion of the first round leave 
4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 players, and one draw 
shall decide the order of play through- 
out the competition, those who have 
drawn byes being placed at the head of 
the list of winners of the first round, 
and taking their place in the second 
round in the order in which their names 
then stand. 

Sec. 16. In the event of a tie in any 
round, competitors shall continue to 
play on until one or the other shall have 



86 GOLF IN AMERICA 

gained a hole, when the match shall be 
considered won. 

Sec. 17. The winner of the competi- 
tion shall be the Champion Amateur 
Golfer for the year, and the trophy- 
shall be held for that year by the club 
from which the winner shall have en- 
tered. The winners shall receive — the 
first, a gold medal; the second, a silver 
medal; the third and fourth, bronze 
medals. 

Sec. 18. All entries are subject to 
the approval of the Executive Commit- 
tee of this Association. 

Sec. 19. All disputes shall be settled 
by the Executive Committee of this As- 
sociation, whose decision shall be final. 

Sec. 20. It shall be incumbent upon 
clubs over whose green the tournament 
is held to admit all members of the As- 
sociation as visitors without payment 
during the tournament; also to bear 
the necessary incidental expenses. 

Sec. 21. Open Championship prizes 
shall be as follows : 

First — $200 to the winner of the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 87 

championship, of which $50 shall be ex- 
pended on a gold medal and $150 given 
in money to a professional or in plate 
to an amateur golfer; the winner to 
have custody of the championship cup, 
but he must, if required, give security 
for its safe keeping. 

Second — $100. 

Third— $50. 

Fourth— $25. 

Fifth— $10. 

The last four prizes shall go to pro- 
fessionals only. 

Sec. 22. Any person paying his en- 
trance money shall be considered there- 
by to have submitted himself to the 
Rules of the Association, both as to re- 
strictions enjoined and penalties im- 
posed. On these conditions alone he is 
entitled to enjoy all the advantages and 
privileges of the Association competi- 
tion. 

Sec. 23. These By-Laws may be al- 
tered, amended or suspended without 
notice, at any regular meeting of the 
Executive Committee, by two-thirds 



88 GOLF IN AMERICA 

vote of the members present, or at any 
special meeting on notice given in the 
call for such meeting. 

Before closing this chapter a few 
words should be added concerning golf 
in Canada. The Scotch pastime there 
has an older history than we can boast 
of on this side of the border. This, of 
course, is natural, being due to the 
English population and English influ- 
ences existing there. As early as 1873 
the game was started by the foundation 
of the Royal Montreal Golf Club ; in the 
year following, the Quebec Club was 
organized, and shortly afterwards, in 
1876, the game was played for the first 
time in Toronto. These three clubs are 
the chief amongst the Canadian homes 
of golf, although the game is played in 
many other places. The Niagara Golf 
Club, on the Canada shore of the Niagara 
River, was founded in 1882, and a little 
later an excellent club was organized at 
Kingston, and another at Ottawa in 
1 89 1. The Deer Park Club in Toronto, 
and the London and Hamilton Clubs, 



GOLF IN AMERICA 89 

which were both founded last year, 
must also be mentioned. 

Of all these, the Quebec green is by 
far the most interesting and picturesque. 
Here the game is played over the Cove 
Fields, which are not far distant from the 
citadel, and the view from the edge of 
the cliff at the first hole is one long to 
be remembered. On the left stands 
the historic citadel; far below flow the 
waters of the St. Lawrence; while in 
the distance the pine woods and beauti- 
ful shores of the river complete the 
panorama. The course abounds in haz- 
ards of various kinds, and, although 
the character of the country is rocky, 
the turf is firm and good. The old 
French bastion forms one of the haz- 
ards; and, indeed, it may be said, that 
there is every possible hazard upon the 
course, with the exception of sand; of 
that there is none. But the old French 
forts and earthworks, and precipices, 
together with moats, rocks and swamps, 
provide more than enough to harass 
even the expert. 



90 GOLF IN AMERICA 

To the visitor to Montreal, the Royal 
Montreal Golf Club, the senior institu- 
tion of its kind in Canada, is well known 
for its open hospitality and welcome to 
strangers. The game is played here 
over Fletcher's Field, which lies at the 
base of a mountain, and from the club- 
house is obtained a fine view of the city 
of Montreal and of the St. Lawrence. 
The course is much smaller than is the 
case at Quebec, but it is kept in excel- 
lent condition by the professional of the 
club. The putting-greens are particu- 
larly good. A curious hazard is af- 
forded at one of the holes by an ave- 
nue of towering elm-trees running at 
right angles with the course, and at 
such a distance from the teeing ground 
that it takes a very good drive to pass 
it. The ball usually strikes in amongst 
the trees and falls down to the ground 
beneath them, where the caddie is wait- 
ing to mark it. The distances between 
the holes are rather short, for in most 
cases a good drive and an iron shot is 
sufficient to bring the player upon the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 91 

putting-green. The course is not nearly 
so hard a one as the Quebec course, 
where the poor driver is continually in 
difficulties; but the putting-greens are 
far better and add much to the value of 
the Montreal course. These two clubs 
are old rivals, and the great golfing 
events of the year to them are the two 
semi-annual matches, one of which is 
played in Quebec and the other in Mon- 
treal, These matches have been played 
for the past twenty years, and never fail 
to excite the greatest interest in that 
part of the country. 

It is the boast of the Toronto Golf 
Club that it possesses the only eighteen- 
hole course in the country. The game 
was started in that city as early as 1876, 
but it was not until 1882 that it obtained 
a strong footing at " Fernhill," the 
present links of the Toronto Golf Club. 
A very pretty little clubhouse has been 
built, and the ground thereabouts is 
admirably suited for the game. A 
characteristic of the Canadian links is 
their great natural beauty; especially 



92 GOLF IN AMERICA 

is this true of Quebec, Toronto, and 
Niagara. The clubhouse just spoken 
of stands on a high plateau, facing 
Lake Ontario, and commanding a mag- 
nificent view, and upon a fine day the 
spray of the falls may be easily seen 
from the piazzas. 

Visitors to Niagara certainly remem- 
ber the Queen's Royal Hotel upon the 
Canadian shore of the river. It is upon 
the grounds of this hotel that the golf 
course of the Niagara Golf Club is laid 
out. The course is only a mile and a 
half in extent at present, and consists of 
nine holes; it could easily be length- 
ened, however, so as to afford eighteen 
holes. The hazards are broken ground, 
old fortifications, embankments, water- 
ditches and sandy shore. A fine view is 
obtained from these links, looking across 
the Niagara River to the American 
shore. 

There are, of course, other golf clubs 
in Canada besides those mentioned, and 
a fuller list appears in the Appendix. 
A few have been mentioned more par- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 93 

ticularly, as it is a matter naturally of 
interest to golfers here. 

With the increased interest in the 
game in this country, it is not unlikely 
that in the near future our players will 
be engaged in international contests 
with the Canadians.* 

*The information given in this part with regard 
to the various American clubs was obtained chiefly 
from the officers of the respective clubs mentioned. 



PART III. 

The rules of the game of golf are 
printed in the Appendix; but to those 
who have never actually seen the game 
of golf played, a reading of the rules 
gives only an imperfect idea of the way 
in which the game is played. So it is 
with foot-ball, tennis, base-ball, or any 
other game. The rules of any game 
taken by themselves would not give a 
clear indication of the way in which the 
game was really played. Of what value 
would it be, for instance, to place our 
rules of American foot-ball in the 
hands of the dwellers of some strange 
and distant country where the name 
even of foot-ball conveyed no idea to 
the mind, and to say to them : * ' There 
are the rules ; they cover all the essential 
points of the game; get eleven men 
together and start in and play? " One 
can imagine the confusion that would 
result. Touchbacks would count as 

94 




MAP OF A GOLF COURSE. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 95 

touchdowns, and off-side play be an 
enigma that the wisest men of the 
nation could not solve. And so, per- 
haps, for the benefit of those who have 
never seen the game of golf played, it 
would not be out of place to say in a 
general way of what it consists. 

The general idea is easily stated. 
Starting from a given point with a small 
gutta-percha ball, it is the object of the 
play to show which of the competitors 
takes the fewest strokes to land his ball 
in a hole, let us say, 400 yards distant 
from the starting point. He who does 
so is the winner of that hole. A full 
course consists of eighteen of these holes. 
The winner of the majority of them is 
the winner of the match. This certainly 
sounds very simple; but there is much 
more to the game than would appear 
from such a statement. 

And first, by way of explanation, a 
few words must be said concerning the 
technical terms which are used. Golf, 
with its traditions and memories, has 
come down to us from past ages with a 



96 GOLF IN AMERICA 

language which is peculiarly its own; 
the many terms in use are, it is true, at 
first confusing, but it is remarkable how 
soon the player becomes acquainted with 
them. 

This short chapter, however, is not 
for players, and one may be pardoned 
if it seem burdened with definitions. 
The links, then, are that part of the 
fields or hills where the game of golf is 
played. The golf course proper is that 
portion of the links generally bounded 
on every side by longer grass, from 
which it is never necessary for the 
skilled player to wander. A good golf 
course should be from three to four 
miles in length, or even longer, and will 
generally partake of the character of a 
circular tour. Thus players going out 
will not interfere with those coming in, 
and as will be seen from the map of the 
Shinnecock course, the point at which 
the game is finished will not be far re- 
moved from the starting point. At 
varying distances, from one to four, or 
five hundred yards from each other, a 



GOLF IN AMERICA 97 

series o£ small round holes are cut in the 
turf. These holes are about four inches 
in diameter and half a dozen inches in 
depth, and are lined with tin to prevent 
the earth from caving in. The ground 
for twenty yards or so around each hole 
is turfed and should be kept level 
as the most carefully prepared tennis- 
court. 

This ground lying around the hole is 
known as the putting-green, or for short, 
the green. The interest of the game is 
greatly increased by hazards and bunk- 
ers, which should abound throughout 
the course. The difference between 
hazards and bunkers is quite an im- 
portant one. The former consists of 
any obstacle whatever which it may be 
necessary to surmount or avoid with the 
ball, such as roads and water, stone 
fences or long grass ; in fact, everything, 
including bunkers, which are, technically 
speaking, sand hills, or sand pits, to be 
found almost entirely on links by the 
sea. Thus, all bunkers are hazards, 
but all hazards are not bunkers. When 



98 GOLF IN AMERICA 

it is remembered that any movement of 
the club which is intended to strike the 
ball is in fact a stroke, and must be 
counted as such, it will readily be seen 
that these obstacles or hazards relieve 
the game of the monotony which would 
otherwise exist. Thus the holes are 
often protected by carefully built ram- 
parts of ground, over which it is neces- 
sary to loft the ball so as to reach the 
green. 

In laying out a golf course care should 
be taken also so to place hazards that 
a poor drive may be punished ; and, if 
natural hazards are to be made use of, 
the teeing grounds should be placed 
with this object in view. The teeing 
ground, it may be said, is in golf par- 
lance the starting point, and, inasmuch 
as there is a new starting point for 
each hole, there are as many teeing 
grounds as there are holes upon the 
course. 

Starting, then, from the first teeing 
ground, it is the object of each player to 
get his bail into hole No. i (of which 



GOLF IN AMERICA 99 

the position is indicated by a white disc 
in the distance), in fewer strokes than 
it takes his opponent with his ball to 
do so. 

There is no racing or any effort to 
accomplish a hole in less time than your 
opponent ; on the contrary, a good golfer 
will take time to play each stroke care- 
fully, for the beauty of the whole game 
consists in dealing skillfully with the 
ball as you may find it ; and in order to 
keep the players together, he whose ball 
is farther from the hole to which he is 
playing, continues to play until he has 
passed his opponent. Then his opponent 
plays, and this continues until each player 
has holed out his ball. Account has been 
taken of each stroke in the meanwhile, 
and, as has been said, the player who has 
played this particular hole in the fewest 
strokes is the winner of this hole. One 
round of the course, as has been said, is 
a match, unless otherwise agreed upon, 
and he who is a winner of the majority of 
the holes is the winner of the match. So 
much in a very general way for the ques- 



100 GOLF IN AMERICA 

tion of what the game consists. There 
are a hundred and one other technical 
terms of which no mention has yet been 
made. 

The first stroke, for instance, is al- 
ways called the drive. The player who 
has won a hole is the first to drive o£E 
from the teeing ground for the next hole, 
and he is said to have the honor. He 
proceeds to tee his ball ; that is, he places 
it upon a little elevation, usually made 
with a pinch of sand. Artificial tees 
may also be used. When he has teed 
his ball, he addresses it; in other words, 
he takes his stand in the position which 
he intends to occupy at the moment of 
striking his ball, and by a few motions 
of the club back and forth over the ball, 
he assures himself that the club is prop- 
erly grasped in the hands, and that the 
direction of the flight of the ball will be 
true. 

When driving he should not toe the 
ball; in other words, hit it with the 
toe of the club ; if he does, the ball will 
be pulled over to the left. Nor should 



GOLF IN AMERICA 101 

he heel it, whereby it is driven farther to 
the right ; but it should come squarely 
into contact with the face of the club. 
To the unlearned, all these terms sound 
perhaps a little superfluous, but the use 
of them saves much lengthy explanation 
amongst golf players. 

This game of golf certainly possesses 
a peculiar and insidious fascination for 
the majority of those who take it up. 
Some there are who have abandoned 
themselves to it entirely. They leave 
their homes early in the morning with 
their faces turned towards the links. 
They are buoyed up by a certain feeling 
of confidence in their ability to lessen 
their score to-day, which no experience 
of yesterday ever seems to obliterate. 
Within sight of the golf course they 
quicken their pace, and when once en- 
gaged in the game they are lost to the 
world in a maze of bunkers, approach 
shots, niblicks, and foozles. A short 
breathing-spell is taken for lunch, where 
the uninitiated will be mightily puz- 
zled by the conversation. He will hear 



102 GOLF IN AMERICA 

such remarks as this possibly : '* He had 
me stymied at the tenth, but he was 
dormie, and it was do or die." I defy 
the English scholar (non-golfer) to ex- 
tract any meaning from such talk. 
After lunch, a couple of rounds through 
the afternoon and then home in the fall- 
ing darkness, to dream that night of 
what might have been, and to allow 
what really has been to fade hazily into 
the past. 

Such cases undoubtedly exist. They 
are, it is true, the advance guard of 
cranks, but even the rank and file go in 
for the game with a degree of enthusi- 
asm which is remarkable when we con- 
sider its apparent simplicity. To many 
who see it played for the first time it 
appears aimless, ridiculously simple, and 
altogether stupid. Indeed, one some- 
times hears even stronger expressions 
of disapproval than these. But the 
simplicity of golf is a trap for the un- 
wary. 

In reality, it is extremely difficult, and 
to become a proficient player requires 



GOLF IN AMERICA 103 

careful and assiduous practice combined 
with good natural judgment of distance 
and accuracy of eye. A good temper is 
also an aid to proficiency, though not 
an essential. The best thing to do with 
a man who says that golf is easy, is to 
let him try it with somebody else's 
clubs. 

With the ball teed on an elevation an 
inch high, it is a fair chance that he 
misses it twice running and breaks your 
friend's drive on the third attempt. 
But from that time on he will probably 
be with you, for after its apparent sim- 
plicity probably the very difficulty of 
the game is one of the chief sources of 
its popularity. It is too much for you ; 
not sufficiently so to utterly cast you 
down, but just enough to make you de- 
termined to get the better of it. There 
is always in the game a certain beacon 
of hope that leads one on from stroke to 
stroke (a veritable ignims fatuus in many 
cases), a never-ending belief that the 
stroke you are about to take will turn 
out successfully, nor will any amount of 



104 GOLF IN AMERICA 

past experience entirely extinguish this 
encouraging feeling. 

Upon the question as to whether this 
game has come to us in this country to 
stay, there is no longer room for an 
honest difference of opinion. At first 
sight it did not appear a game to which 
Americans would seem to be perma- 
nently attracted. Summed up in a 
word, it looked slow; too much like 
taking a walk, with the diversion, as an 
incident, of hitting a ball along the 
ground. From this point of view it 
lacks interest, vitality and the spirit of 
contest. Again, it seems selfish, inas- 
much as every technicality in the rules 
is taken advantage of. Moreover, it is 
impossible that the game should be 
popularized, as so great an area of space 
is necessary in order that it may be 
played. 

Viewed at in those lights, golf cer- 
tainly has not come to stay. The 
truth of the matter, however, is that 
these criticisms, barring the one last 
mentioned, are not founded on fact. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 105 

Hitting a ball along the ground is not 
golf ; no greater mistake could be imag- 
ined. Unless the game is taken seriously, 
it is better let alone. But an honest 
endeavor to know by what rules it is 
governed, and what is the correct way 
in which to undertake the various kinds 
of strokes which one will be called upon 
to play, is apt to arouse and to sustain 
a keen interest. It is only necessary 
to point to the present status of the 
game. 

Scotland has nourished it certainly for 
four hundred and fifty years. England 
is wild over it. From the Cheviot Hills 
to Lands End the fever has communi- 
cated itself, especially in the past ten 
years, and Ireland is not very far behind, 
with a result that to say there are now 
eight hundred or more golf clubs in the 
United Kingdom. Australia, New Zea- 
land and Canada all practice it. Indeed, 
in the English colonies generally, and 
more especially where the Scotch are 
settled in any numbers, the sport thrives. 
Upon the Continent, golf is already 



106 GOLF IN AMERICA 

ancient at Pan, and has been played for 
many years at Biarritz and other places. 
There is an excellent course at Cairo, 
and clubs exist in Calcutta, Bombay, 
and in India generally. 

Finally,, here in our own country, the 
past two or three years have witnessed 
the formation of golf clubs in every 
direction, and the organization of a 
national association to look after its 
interest has become necessary. 

Nor is golf selfish to those who under- 
stand the main idea of the game. It is 
a game of skill. Endurance comes in 
as a useful factor, but to deal skillfully 
with the ball in any position however 
bad in which it may be found, is the 
particular result to be obtained. The 
rules are so constructed as to guard 
jealously this principle. The lie of the 
ball may not be altered, nor the stroke 
made more easy for the player by any 
means whatever. Otherwise the inter- 
est of the game is gone. In certain 
cases, it is true, the penalties imposed 
are very heavy. For instance, if the 




ST. ANDREWS LINKS, 



GOLF IN AMERICA 107 

player's ball strikes or be accidentally- 
moved by an opponent or an opponent's 
caddie or clubs, the opponent loses the 
hole. In the case of an accidental 
movement whereby the ball is dis- 
turbed, however little, from its original 
position, the punishment seems hardly 
to fit the crime. But the rules, though 
strict, are fair, and it is a great mis- 
take not to read them and abide by 
them. 

By all means, play by the rules. Do 
not regard an opponent as a man of 
mean spirit and selfish tendencies if he 
asks you to do so. The mistake usually 
made is that the rules are not read, or 
if read, are skimmed over so lightly as 
to leave but little impression. It would 
add greatly to the pleasure of the game 
if all players, and would-be players, 
would study the rules carefully and in- 
telligently, and agree cheerfully to live 
up to them to the letter. The selfish- 
ness of golf would be thus seen to be a 
delusion, and the game would borrow 
an added interest. 



108 GOLF IN AMERICA 

When we come, however, to speak of 
the disadvantages arising from the need 
of the large space of ground which is 
required, a more real difficulty is met 
with. 

This of itself would prevent golf 
from becoming a game for the people at 
large. It is not likely that cities or 
villages in this country will support 
public links, as is the case in many parts 
of Scotland and England. It is practi- 
cally only the men who can maintain a 
club to whom the game is open. These 
exist all through the country, however, 
and from a geographical standpoint, 
golf is already a popular game in the 
United States, and there is every indica- 
tion that its popularity will increase as 
it becomes more widely known. 

But enough of its drawbacks. It may 
be said in favor of golf, in the first place, 
that it is healthful and invigorating and 
possesses the element of skill to a 
marked degree. The number of people, 
after all, who can engage in American 
football and baseball, our two great 



GOLF IN AMERICA 109 

national games, is limited. Moreover, 
the population at large need all the out- 
lets for physical exercise which they can 
obtain; the more the better, and golf 
supplies this outlet to a large number, 
both of men and women. Again — and 
in this respect it differs much from the 
two sports just mentioned — golf is a 
game for all ages, from first childhood 
to second childhood. It is never too 
late to take it up. 

It may be that the swing will be a 
little less free and the joints a little 
more stiff in the case of one who prac- 
tices it for the first time at that time of 
life which is known as " pretty well on." 
But this is not necessarily so, and even 
at worst a three-quarter swing is better 
than no swing at all. On the other 
hand, the earlier a boy is allowed to 
play, the better it will be for his indi- 
vidual game. 

The amount of exercise which is taken 
varies with each player. There is a cer- 
tain danger in allowing children to flour- 
ish round with golf clubs, as the chances 



110 GOLF IN AMERICA 

are that their aim will not be true, nor 
will they pay much attention to the 
question of where they are standing; but 
this difficulty can be obviated by allow- 
ing them to play under instruction until 
they become fairly proficient. 

Another great advantage is that not 
only does the game not need a number 
of men with whom to form a team, but 
it can even be played alone and yet be 
interesting. The spirit of competition 
in this case is absent, but a man's previ- 
ous best score can always be attacked 
with zest should no other adversary be 
at hand. Still another advantage, un- 
usual in the case of other games, is the 
fact that golf can be played practically 
throughout the entire year. Even 
when the snow is upon the ground en- 
thusiasts are at it. The real cause, how- 
ever, of the widespread popularity of 
the game, the underlying reason for its 
existence, is the skill required to execute 
properly each stroke. This phase of the 
game is a sealed book to the uninitiated. 
Problem after problem arise and must 









SHINNECOCK HILLS LINKS. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 111 

be dealt with as the circumstances of 
each case demand. 

The difficulty of those who do not 
take the trouble to study the correct 
methods of play are well known. The 
ground is plowed up, the ball hacked to 
pieces, the club broken and the temper 
gone. The whole point of the game 
is missed. The only real way to enjoy 
it is to take a sufficient interest in it, to 
find out how it is played. It will then 
be found how much more there is to 
it than is at first supposed. It certainly 
will take long months of practice before 
one can hope to equal the professional 
player, and this point will in all proba- 
bility never be reached by the majority; 
but it does not take long to learn how to 
play a fair game, and from that point on 
it depends upon the natural aptitude of 
the player and his willingness to practice 
whether or not he will gain the position 
of the first rank. 




PA.RX IV. 



It must be remembered that the game 
of golf is not a game of brute force, but 
one rather in which skill plays the more 
important part ; consequently, it is most 
important at the outset to acquire a cor- 
rect style of play. The danger, rather, 
is that the means will occupy the mind 
too fully and the end be lost sight of. 
The end of each stroke is to hit the ball 
with such accuracy and with such force 

112 



GOLF IN AMERICA 113 

as will carry it in the direction and for 
the distance required, and while the 
means employed in arriving at the best 
results are a necessary subject of study 
and of practice, the beginner is warned 
to avoid affectations of style. This comes 
largely from imitation coupled with a 
failure to understand the first principles 
of the game and is productive of the very 
faults which the intelligent player is en- 
abled to avoid. With the understanding, 
then, that the player is to aim at the 
ball first, and at style as a means only of 
accomplishing a result, it is safe to say 
that in no game, perhaps, more than in 
golf, is the understanding of first princi- 
ples more essential to success. Golf is 
not easy ; a trial of the game will readily 
show the fallacy of any such idea. It 
does not consist merely of hitting a ball 
from one hole to another in a haphazard 
way, nor will the stroke wrongly taken 
ever produce the best result of which 
the player is capable. One who desires 
to play the game well must realize that 
each stroke is a game in itself, and the 



114 GOLF IN AMERICA 

only way to succeed is to take the strokes 
one by one and learn how to play each 
one correctly. 

Scientific reasons for every movement 
tend to confuse the mind. What the 
beginner really wishes to know is what 
he is to do, and it is the object of this 
chapter (intended only for beginners) 
to mention what is more or less univer- 
sally regarded as the correct practical 
method of play. 

With this introduction it may be said 
that the game, broadly speaking, is di- 
vided into three parts: (i) Driving, 

(2) Play on the Green or Iron Play, and 

(3) Putting. 

Play on the Green might be again 
subdivided, for in the nature of things 
the ball seldom falls into exactly the 
same lie. Sometimes it is a hanging 
ball, sometimes it lies in a cup; again, 
unfortunately, in a bunker, or perhaps 
with a little elevation immediately in 
front, or in a hundred other possible 
positions. But for all purposes, it is 
better and simpler to class all these dif- 




DRIVING: THE "UPWARD SWING.' 



GOLF IN AMERICA 115 

ferent strokes together under the gen- 
eral heading of Play on the Green and to 
speak of them singly as they come up. 

And first, with regard to the clubs. 
It is frequently asked, and is a very 
pertinent question, why it is that so 
many clubs are necessary for the game 
of golf. To the uninitiated it looks 
very much like affectation. Some, it is 
true, have wooden heads, and others 
have iron heads, but that to them is 
the main point of distinction, and it cer- 
tainly seems an affectation the less par- 
donable because it is expensive. They 
should recollect, however, that the game 
does not consist in batting the ball care- 
lessly along the ground; its whole in- 
terest lies in the necessity for playing 
away the ball in a skillful and satisfac- 
tory manner, from any position on the 
ground in which the player may find it. 
A closer inspection of the clubs than a 
mere first glance will show that they 
differ very materially, and that they are 
carefully made for the purposes to which 
they are put at different times. 



116 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Merely to satisfy the curiosity of those 
who ask in desperation how many clubs 
it is possible to play with, the following 
list, nineteen in number, is given : 

WOODEN CLUBS. 

The driver or play club. 

Grassed driver. 

Long spoon. 

Middle spoon. 

Baffing spoon. 

Niblick. 

Brassy. 

Bulger. 

Putter. 

Driving spoon. 

Short spoon. 

IRON CLUBS. 

Iron-putter. 

Cleek. 

Driving ^ron. 

Medium or ordinary iron. 

Lofting iron. 

Niblick. 

President. 

Mashie. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 117 

Some of these clubs, such as the 
baffing spoon and the president, are 
obsolete; others differ so slightly that 
it needs a proficient player to tell them 
apart, and it need hardly be said that 
it is in no way necessary for the am- 
bitious beginner to think that he must 
needs purchase a set of clubs such as 
has been named. 

If it must be confessed, the list is 
given largely to encourage him to get 
as many as seven clubs, which is cer- 
tainly all that he will need. These are 
the brassy and driver, of the family 
of wooden clubs; and in addition, the 
cleek, iron, lofter, mashie, and putter. 
These clubs will be found at different 
times to be necessary, for it might as 
well be recognized that unless golf is 
taken seriously, the main pleasure of the 
game is missed ; and the man who goes 
round the course with the cleek and the 
iron as his only implements, may be 
enjoying himself, but he is not endeavor- 
ing seriously to master the fine points 
of the game. 



118 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Being provided with a set of clubs 
such as has been suggested, and with a 
ball, the beginner sallies forth prepared 
to play round the course. Before he 
does so, however, he will be wise if he 
obtains the services of some competent 
professional who will show him in a 
general way the essential points, at 
least of the first stroke. In golf, as in 
other things, the fine player, whether 
professional or amateur, is not neces- 
sarily the best teacher, the art of teach- 
ing being a very different thing from 
the capacity to play. The game is very 
young in this country, and it would 
surely seem to be a good policy for the 
many clubs which are springing up on 
every side to look mainly to the teach- 
ing qualities of the expert whom they 
propose to employ as the professional 
of the club. 

Arrived at the teeing ground, the first 
thing to do is to tee the ball. Many 
good players merely place the ball in a 
favorable position on the ground, dis- 
daining the aid of any other tee. Indeed, 



GOLF IN AMERICA 119 

one of the trick shots of golf is to tee 
the ball upon the crystal of an open-faced 
watch and drive it with full force from 
that position. Needless to say, such 
performers are experts, and the watches 
their own. Let the beginner be humbly 
thankful that there is at least one stroke 
in which he is allowed to place the ball 
to suit himself. In teeing the ball on a 
slight elevation made with a pinch of 
dirt or wet sand, let him be careful that 
the ball rests very lightly on the dirt. 
One prominent player declares that he 
considers a ball clumsily pressed down 
into a big pat of sand to be bunkered 
rather than teed. 

Avoid high tees; they are demoraliz- 
ing. The effect, in the first place, is apt 
to be that the ball will be a sky-scraper, 
and secondly, it has a tendency to spoil 
your play through the green. 

With the ball properly teed, the next 
thing to occupy your mind is the grasp 
of the club. The driver, as its name 
indicates, is the only proper club to be 
used in the opening stroke of the game. 



120 GOLF IN AMERICA 

The beginner will be wise to choose 
a g-ood stiff club, and to avoid the 
temptation of getting a springy, willowy- 
one. The latter, in the hands of one 
who knows how to use it, is far more 
serviceable, but the probability is that 
it will not stand the wear and tear to 
which it will be subjected by a novice. 
In addition to this, it is much more dif- 
ficult with a springy club to acquire 
true direction for the ball, as the matter 
of balance is one needing experience. 
The length and the weight of the club 
will differ somewhat with the height of 
the player. 

DRIVING. 

The main idea in grasping the club 
is to remember that the left hand 
should hold it firmly, rigidly in fact, 
whereas the right is allowed a much 
looser grasp. This is upon the sup- 
position that the player is right- 
handed. It is laid down by some, and 
is a good thing to remember, that the 
left hand and forearm should be re- 
garded in a certain sense as a part of 



GOLF IN AMERICA 121 

the club itself, and should be used in 
lending force to the swing, while the 
right hand is the guiding hand and 
should be held loosely. The impor- 
tance of the absolute looseness and flex- 
ibility of the right hand and arm cannot 
be overestimated. The club should be 
held in the fingers of the hands, not in 
the palms, the left thumb lying along 
the shaft and the right thumb being 
allowed to go completely around. 

Having learned the proper manner in 
which to hold the club, the player must 
next find out what is the proper place 
in which to stand relative to the posi- 
tion of the ball as it lies upon the 
ground. 

The main thing to remember is to 
stand square to the ball, that is, facing 
it at right angles to the direction to 
which it is intended that the ball should 
be driven. The feet should be firmly 
planted on the ground so as to afford a 
good strong position ; probably the dis- 
tance between them will be, for the 
average player, about eighteen inches. 



122 GOLF IN AMERICA 

The most difficult question to solve, and 
the most important one in this connec- 
tion, is to stand at a correct distance 
from the ball; not too near so that it 
will be necessary, in the act of striking, 
to draw in the arms, whereby the ball 
will become heeled and driven away to 
the right, nor, on the other hand, too 
far, in which case the ball will be caught 
by the toe of the club and pulled round 
to the left. What, then, is the correct 
distance ? The answer to this question 
is best obtained by allowing the club, 
when properly grasped in the hands, to 
rest directly behind the ball. With the 
knees bent slightly inward to give a firm 
hold on the ground, and the body in- 
clined a little forward, the arms stretched 
out to their full length and the wrists 
held down, the top of the shaft of the 
club should be found almost to be touch- 
ing the left knee. This seems like a 
very arbitrary rule, and it might not 
perhaps be a safe one to follow too 
blindly. The distance from the ball 
will vary somewhat with the height of 



GOLF IN AMERICA 123 

the player and the length of the driver 
which he may use ; but the rule will be 
found to work fairly well on trial. There 
is little else to be said on this question 
of position for the drive. The player 
should discover by practice the correct 
distance which should intervene between 
himself and the ball. Uncertainty in 
this matter means lack of accuracy. 
When the stroke is actually taken, above 
all do not assume an unnatural and 
strained position. The mind should not 
be occupied with the details of the game 
to such an extent as to produce manner- 
isms. No player can hope to become pro- 
ficient who has a stiff, awkward manner 
of using his clubs. This awkwardness 
comes often from the fact that the player 
is trying too hard to do the many things 
which are seen to be a part of the stroke 
of an expert. The idea of freedom of 
motion should never be lost sight of. 

Having assumed the correct position, 
and with the club properly grasped in 
the hands, the player proceeds to address 
the ball. In addressing the ball the play- 



124 GOLF IN AMERICA 

er moves the head of his club back and 
forth with free action over it in the in- 
tended direction of its flight. 

The main object of this is twofold: 
first, the limbering up of the wrists and 
the satisfaction of knowing that the club 
is grasped properly in the hands before 
actually striking the ball, and secondly, 
swinging the club backwards and for- 
wards, in the line of the intended flight 
of the ball, it is more probable that it 
will be swung back and be allowed to 
swing downward upon the ball with 
greater accuracy. Unless the player has 
these things in mind, it is very much 
better that he should not wave his club 
to and fro without purpose, as it is likely 
that the very things which he intends to 
avoid will be occasioned by his action. 
His left hand will be allowed to loosen; 
he will shift his position from one foot 
to the other and his eye will become 
confused. 

After addressing the ball, the club 
should be allowed to rest for a moment 
upon the ground directly behind it. This 



GOLF IN AMERICA 125 

is for the purpose of directing the play- 
er's attention for the last time to that 
part of the ball which he intends should 
come in contact with the face of the club ; 
and it is well here to mention what might 
be called the first rule of golf, which is 
generally stated in the sentence, " Keep 
your eye on the ball." This sentence is 
somewhat misleading. It is a matter of 
fact, that the club will tend to strike the 
ball at that part of it towards which the 
eye is directed and it is on this very ac- 
count doubtless that so many balls are 
topped. Do not stare rigidly down upon 
the top of the ball ; rather keep the eye 
fixed as firmly as possible upon a point 
just below its center, upon that side 
where the club rests, before taking the 
stroke. This rule cannot be repeated too 
many times ; to lose sight of it is to play 
a careless, slashing game, equally hard 
upon the ball and the temper. 

So far all has been preparation : there 
remains only the taking of the^ stroke. 
This is accomplished by swinging the 
club at full arm's length backwards, and 



126 GOLF IN AMERICA 

in a natural curve, round the right shoul- 
der, and swinging it down again with full 
force upon the ball, but with a following 
motion. It will thus be seen that the 
swing of the club consists of two parts, 
the upward swing and downward swing 
with the follow. 

The upward swing, when compared 
with the force of the downward swing, 
should be more deliberate. ' ' Slow back " 
is the rule laid down; but it does not 
mean that the upward swing is to be 
stilted or hesitating. Indeed, in the 
hands of a good player, a club will seem 
to come back with great rapidity ; but it 
is the last act, so to speak, of taking aim 
at the ball, and should not be done reck- 
lessly. The club should be allowed, -as 
has been said, to swing round the right 
shoulder and all the way back behind 
the neck, but never by any possible 
chance to rest upon the left shoulder. 
Probably the two most important things 
to remember at this critical point are 
that the club must not waver or become 
loosened in the left hand, and that the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 127 

eye must not wander from the ball for 
any fraction of a second. If either of 
these things occur, the drive is almost 
sure to be a failure. When the club is 
brought down, traveling as it should in 
the same line as that by which it was 
drawn back, remember to siveep away 
the ball. The stroke does not end by 
any means when the ball has been 
struck, but in order to accomplish the 
best results, the swing of the club is 
continued, so that at its termination its 
head will be found to be pointing, as it 
were, after the flying ball. 

When in the act of driving, the feet 
should be settled firmly upon the ground 
and the upper part of the body allowed 
to turn freely upon the hips. If this is 
done, and a full swing is taken, as has 
been described, it will be found as an 
entirely natural consequence, that the 
heel of the left foot has been drawn 
from the ground and that the left knee 
has turned slightly inward. This, how- 
ever, is a consequence of correct driv- 
ing, not a cause. It is a mistake to 



128 GOLF IN AMERICA 

sway the body backwards and forwards 
when driving, as the change of position 
tends to lessen the accuracy of the 
stroke, and indeed the probable cause 
of this mistake is very often the affecta- 
tion of raising the heel of the left foot 
and bending the left knee inward at the 
wrong time. 

Another mistake which is very com- 
mon to beginners, is the desire to hit 
the ball too terrible a blow. Theoret- 
ically, perhaps, if the eye be trained 
and the judgment of distance perfect, it 
is impossible to hit the ball too hard; 
but much better results are to be ob- 
tained in the beginning by devoting the 
attention to hitting the ball in the proper 
place with a moderate amount of force. 

Sufficient has certainly been said upon 
the method of taking a single stroke after 
the statement that the player's mind 
must not be occupied by details. It is 
only when in the act of hitting the ball, 
however, that his mind is to be free and 
clear of a consideration of the ways and 
means. One of the commonest cases is 




DRIVING: THE FINISH OF THE STROKE. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 129 

that of the man who takes the game up 
carelessly, becomes fascinated with it 
because it is so much more interesting 
and difficult than he had at first supposed, 
and yet continues stolidly to attack the 
monster in his own way. After playing 
the game for a month or two, it occurs 
to him to ask advice from the profes- 
sional of his club, and it is a hard matter 
to cure him of his faults. The wiser 
course is to acknowledge your nothing- 
ness at the outset. At the same time it 
is well to adopt immediately a free and 
open style of hitting at the ball. Pro- 
vided a beginner is not hitting blindly 
with the idea of force uppermost in his 
mind, he will be a more satisfactory pupil 
if he needs toning down in this respect, 
rather than building up. Such a one will 
be more apt to acquire in the end a free 
and fearless style of play and to avoid the 
cramped mannerisms of which mention 
has been made. 

PLAY ON THE GREEN. 

What has been said with regard to 
driving, applies largely to the usual 



130 GOLF IN AMERICA 

stroke which one will be called upon to 
make while playing through the green. 
Let us suppose that the player's ball, 
after his first stroke has fallen upon the 
turf in the course, lies in fairl)'' good 
position — too far, however, from the first 
hole for a full cleek or iron shot. The 
brassy will perhaps be the proper club 
to use. The brassy is a wooden club 
with a brass sole as a protection to the 
wood. It resembles very much the driver 
and is a most efficient instrument. The 
stroke which is taken with it differs in 
few essential points from that in which 
the driver is used ; possibly it is better to 
stand with the ball a little more in ad- 
vance than is the case when the ball is 
teed. 

It may be, however, that the ball has 
fallen into what is known as a cup. 
This is a very shallow hole which may 
be formed by rough treatment of the 
green, by some one who has turned up 
the sod at this particular point, or from 
some other cause, such as the mark of a 
horse's hoof, or a wagon rut in the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 131 

course. The reason why this stroke is 
so difficult, is that there is an elevation 
of ground both in front and behind the 
ball, and it is a matter of great accuracy 
to play it out in a good clean manner. 
This is best accomplished by what is 
known as a "jerking" stroke, wherein 
the club strikes with a quick cut imme- 
diately behind the ball and comes to a 
dead stop on reaching the ground. It 
requires some delicacy to get with pre- 
cision between the elevation immedi- 
ately behind the ball and the ball itself, 
and to escape plowing the ground up or 
topping the ball, in either of which 
cases the stroke is a failure. In this 
play, above all others, do not keep the 
eye upon the top of the ball, but be 
sure that it is directed intently to that 
part which is to come into contact with 
the club. 

Another stroke which bothers many 
players other than beginners, is what is 
known as the hanging ball, which is one 
which lies on a downward slope of the 
ground. It is here that the great value 



132 GOLF IN AMERICA 

of a spoon-faced club is seen. The mis- 
take which nearly all beginners make, is 
to try and get under the ball so that they 
may loft it ; it is for the very reason that 
they are unable to do this that the club 
used is spoon-faced, and thus will be 
found to do the work itself. It is hard 
to learn to play this stroke in the right 
way. The only correct manner in which 
to play such a ball is to use a club of the 
character referred to and to play ex- 
actly as if the ball were lying upon the 
level ground. The swinging, sweeping 
motion when following the ball after it 
has been struck, the necessity of getting 
the shoulders well into the blow, are 
both present as in the case of a drive, 
but there should be no attempt on the 
part of the player to loft the ball by a 
movement of the wrists; let the club 
do the work and it will be a great satis- 
faction to see how successfully this diffi- 
cult stroke can be played. 

One of the great objects of the game 
is to avoid the bunkers. Bunkers are a 
special form of hazards, the latter con- 



GOLF IN AMERICA 133 

sisting of water, bushes, sand, and other 
impediments, both natural and artificial. 
A bunker, however, is more strictly a 
sandpit. A good player may extricate 
himself when his ball has fallen into a 
sandpit, with the loss perhaps of a stroke 
or two. But not so the novice; unless 
the latter be careful, his faults will only 
the more effectually pile up his difficul- 
ties. Instead of hitting the ball away 
from the ground, he will only drive it 
farther in, and he has the less help in 
aiding his eye, for the reason that the 
rules do not allow him in a bunker to 
place his club upon the sand behind 
the ball at any time while in the act 
of taking his stroke or preparing to 
do so. 

The main thing to remember is that he 
should not attempt to hit the ball itself. 
This may seem curious, but it is true 
nevertheless. The sand about an inch 
back of the ball should be the mark at 
which he should aim ; sand and all must 
come with the ball; it is the only way. 
It is no easy matter to accomplish this. 



134 GOLF IN AMERICA 

In every other stroke of the game the 
player has been accustomed to keep his 
eye on the ball itself, until it has become 
almost a second nature. If he were 
allowed to rest his club but for a mo- 
ment on the spot which he intends to hit, 
it would be a great help. An indentation 
would thus be made which would be a 
guide to the eye, but even this is denied 
him under the penalty of the loss of the 
hole. At no time of the game, with the 
exception perhaps of putting, is it more 
necessary that he should keep his self- 
composure and attend strictly to busi- 
ness, for the ball is an obstinate thing in a 
bunker; to aim behind it, however, is 
the secret of success. 

In speaking of the "approach shot," it 
might well be borne in mind that it 
shares with putting the honor of being 
the stroke upon which most depends. 
An approach shot is one played from 
such a distance from the hole that the 
ball falls, or should fall, upon the putting- 
green. Many players, if the distance be 
not altogether too far, use almost the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 135 

same stroke as has been described when 
the ball lies in a cup. The full swing 
will not usually be necessary; a three- 
quarter shot, or in other words, a shot 
which is made without the use of the 
shoulders, will often be sufficient to 
bring the ball upon the green. The 
right foot should be more in advance, 
and the weight of the body may be 
allowed to remain much more upon 
the right leg than is the case in driv- 
ing. Indeed, the stroke is taken almost 
entirely off the right foot. Speaking in 
a general way, the shorter the distance 
from the hole in playing the approach 
shot, the farther in advance may the 
right foot be placed, and the more may 
the weight of the body be allowed to 
rest upon it. This principle is carried 
to such an extent in the case of some 
players, that when upon the putting- 
green they play with the ball directly 
opposite, or in extreme cases, even a 
little bit behind, the right foot. The 
lofting iron is the correct club to use, 
the face being very far laid back, and 



136 GOLF IN AMERICA 

whether the shot be played by a jerk as 
above mentioned, or the ball be lofted, 
it is much more likely that the use of 
this club will give the ball a backward 
spin and thus cause it to fall dead upon 
the green. The novice would probably 
have much better success, from a practi- 
cal point of view, in running the ball up 
from a moderate distance with a wooden 
putter; but this style of play is not a 
part of the game and should not be 
employed. As in the case of using the 
cleek for driving, it only puts off the 
day when he may hope to become a 
proficient player. In the approach shot 
the feet should be somewhat nearer 
together than in driving, the hands 
somewhat farther down the shaft. 
Approach play should be a matter of 
study and continual practice under the 
eye of an intelligent professional or 
teacher. 

It is impossible in a part dealing so 
entirely with the essentials of the game 
to do more than to point out a few of the 
leading principles. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 137 



With the ball lying upon the putting- 
green, we come to the last stroke which 
it was proposed in the beginning of this 
part to discuss. In the early days of 
our golfing endeavors, we are apt to 
despise putting and to think that driving 
is the great stroke of the game. In one 
sense this is true. Nothing can give such 
keen pleasure in the game as a good 
clean drive delivered with a full swing. 
It is a sensation, so to speak, to be 
sought after. When players get on a 
little way, although they still cling to the 
feeling of pleasure which the drive gives, 
they are led into what is perhaps the op- 
posite extreme. They then hear so much 
of the value of good putting and of ap- 
proach shots that they begin to feel that 
there is something wrong in taking so 
much satisfaction in their driving. The 
correct view lies between the two ex- 
tremes. Driving is certainly a very im- 
portant part of the game. In a course 
of eighteen holes, the far and sure driver 



138 GOLF IN AMERICA 

has a very great advantage over him to 
whom the art of driving is a sealed book. 
Many a match has been won by the 
famous professional, Douglas Rolland, 
through his superior powers of driving. 
But a stroke is a stroke, and a poor putt 
is just as costly from this point of view 
as a poor drive. The man who can putt 
always with accuracy has already ob- 
tained a marked advantage. A man who 
putts poorly, on the other hand, may 
take three, four, or even a greater num- 
ber of strokes to get into the hole when 
once within twenty yards of it. Conse- 
quently, good putting, though it appears 
at first less interesting than the rest of 
the game, will be found in the long run 
to be of the very greatest advantage. 
When once upon the putting-green, uni- 
formity of style amongst players seems 
to be lost sight of. By degrees each man 
will assume a position which he will have 
found by experience to be the most suita- 
ble for him. Some stand with their 
feet far apart, others having them close 
together; some with the ball midway 



GOLF IN AMERICA 139 

between their feet, others with the ball 
lying even to the left of the left foot, 
and others, again, with the ball lying op- 
posite to the right foot. The shaft of 
the club is held at the top and low down ; 
the player faces the hole or the ball, 
and altogether, each one suits himself. 
The question which arises first in the 
mind is to decide upon the advisability 
of using a wooden putter or an iron one. 
That the wooden clubs are of greater 
use from longer distances, and the iron 
ones for shorter distances, is pretty well 
accepted; but many players will find 
that upon a true green the wooden put- 
ter is the more reliable owing to the 
weight of the head of the club. It is 
less likely with a wooden putter that 
the ball will not be struck sufficiently 
hard to reach the hole. This is a dan- 
ger which is commonly experienced. 
A tendency to play cautiously has the 
effect of causing one to play weakly, and 
the ball stops short. This failing is so 
universal as to have given rise to the 
maxim, '' Be Up," amongst golf players; 



140 GOLF IN AMERICA 

in other words, the hole, even if it is 
only four inches and a half in diameter, 
runs a good chance of catching your ball, 
providing the ball reaches it. Aim, 
therefore, for the far side of the hole, not 
the side nearer to you. Another reason 
for playing with decision in putting and 
forcing the ball to travel with a fair rate 
of speed upon the green, is the fact that 
small obstructions or uneven pieces of 
ground are the less likely to divert it 
from its proper direction, whereas a ball 
putted weakly is likely to be turned 
aside by the slightest cause. A good gen- 
eral rule in putting : stand close to the 
ball, the weight on the right leg, the right 
arm close to the side, and the ball nearly 
opposite the right foot. Remember that 
there is nothing approaching a swing in 
putting : the stroke is more in the nature 
of a push. Again, it is as unwise to oc- 
cupy an undue amount of time in prep- 
aration as it is to play with undue haste. 
The distance from the hole and the di- 
rection of the path of the ball are the 
only two things to consider. A glance 



GOLF IN AMERICA 141 

will suffice to tell at what distance the 
ball is lying from the hole, and the 
amount of force necessary to reach it 
will be found better by practice upon the 
green than in any other way. The ques- 
tion of direction will depend upon the 
condition of the ground, and possibly 
upon the wind. In aiming, remember 
once again to play for the back of the 
hole. Above all, avoid carelessness in 
putting; one of the dangers into which 
beginners are apt to fall. Do not be de- 
ceived by the fact that it appears easy. 
Play carefully at this point of the game, 
otherwise many strokes are practically 
presented to your opponent. 

To sum up : ( i) Drwi7tg — Begin with a 
good stiff club; avoid high tees; in 
holding the club the left hand should be 
held firmly and the right hand loosely, 
the club should be held in the fingers of 
the hand, not in the palm, the left thumb 
lying along the shaft and the right 
thumb being allowed to go completely 
round. Stand square to the ball with 
the feet firmly planted upon the ground 



142 GOLF IN AMERICA 

and separated by about eighteen inches. 
Rest the head of the club upon the 
ground back of the ball, and if you are 
standing at a correct distance from the 
ball the top of the shaft of the club will 
be found to be touching the left knee. 

In addressing the ball, remember to 
have in mind the two objects in view: 
first, that you may be sure that the club 
is properly grasped, and secondly, that 
you may obtain a better idea of the line 
of the intended flight of the ball. 

After addressing the ball, the club is 
to be allowed to rest for a moment upon 
the ground behind it before taking the 
swing. In swinging the club around 
your right shoulder and behind the neck, 
do not allow it to rest upon the left 
shoulder ; turn upon the hips and do not 
sway backwards and forwards. The 
arms should be at full length, and the 
shoulders must get well into the work. 
** Slow back." The arc described by 
the club in its upward swing is the 
same as that of its downward swing. 
Throughout the entire swing keep your 



GOLF IN AMERICA 143 

eye upon the ball. Never allow the 
club to waver or become loosened in the 
left hand when in the act of driving; do 
not attempt to hit the ball too hard, aim 
rather to hit it in the proper place, and 
after the ball has been struck, do not 
forget that the club must be allowed to 
follow after with a swinging motion, so 
that at the end of the stroke the head of 
the club will be found to be pointing in 
the direction which the ball has taken. 

(2) Play on the green — A ball lying 
in a cup, should be played by the stroke 
which is known as a "jerking" stroke, 
in which the club comes to a short stop 
on reaching the ground. In this play it 
is most important to keep your eye upon 
that part of the ball which it is intended 
should come into contact with the face 
of the club. 

A " hanging ball," or that which lies 
upon a downward slope of ground, 
should be attacked with a club having 
its face particularly far laid back; the 
chief thing to remember being, that 
with such a club the ball must be played 



144 GOLF IN AMERICA 

exactly the same as though it were lying 
upon the level ground. The club, ow- 
ing to its peculiar shape, will do the 
rest; do not, therefore, attempt to get 
under the ball or to loft it. 

In a "bunker " the main thing to aim 
at and hit is the sand back of the ball, 
and not to attempt to strike the ball it- 
self. The ball lies practically imbedded 
in the sand, and it is necessary to carry 
away the sand back of it in order to get 
well under. Play with particular cool- 
ness and judgment at this point of the 
game, otherwise your difficulties will 
only increase. 

The " approach shot" may be played 
either by the stroke recommended when 
the ball is lying in a cup, or the ball may 
be lofted ; a three-quarter shot (one made 
without the aid of the shoulders) will 
usually be sufficient to bring the ball 
upon the green. The right foot should 
be more in advance and the weight of 
the body allowed to remain almost en- 
tirely upon the right leg. The approach 
shot is probably the most important, and 




THE "APPROACH SHOT.' 



GOLF IN AMERICA 145 

certainly one of the most difficult shots 
the player will be usually called upon to 
undertake, and it is recommended that 
he practice it carefully under the in- 
structions of a competent teacher. 

(3) Putting — In putting there are two 
things to be taken into consideration : 
the distance of the hole from the ball 
and the direction. To acquire a correct 
idea of the amount of force necessary to 
reach the hole, continual practice upon 
the green should be taken ; the heavier 
the club, the less will be the amount of 
force to be applied by the player, for 
the weight of the head of the club is an 
element to be considered. Wooden 
putters, especially for the longer dis- 
tances, are considered more reliable than 
iron ones, and with the use of a wooden 
putter it is more likely that the ball will 
reach the hole and not fall short. Aim 
for the far side of the hole ; otherwise 
the anxiety not to go a hair's breadth 
either side will cause one to play weakly. 
The stroke required in putting possesses 
none of the elements of a swing, the 



146 GOLF IN AMERICA 

joints and wrists being- stiff, the arms 
close to the side ; the ball should be al- 
most opposite, though a little in advance 
of the right foot. Putt with decision, 
but never with carelessness. 

It has been impossible, of course, in 
a short treatise such as this one, to go 
to any extent into the theory of the 
game. There are many fine points also 
in the practice of the game which have 
not been touched upon, such as wrist 
shots, slicing, and the correct stroke to 
play when a player finds himself stymied. 
This part, however, makes no pre- 
tense beyond mentioning the essential 
points of the game, the methods of deal- 
ing with the ball in the average condi- 
tions under which one must usually play. 
The more usual failings and difficulties 
of beginners have been pointed out and 
their remedies suggested. Other diffi- 
culties and other questions will certainly 
arise as the novice continues to play, and 
for these the advice of a capable pro- 
fessional or good teacher, whether pro- 
fessional or amateur, will be necessary. 




ON THE PUTTING-GREEN. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 147 

A few words remain to be added con- 
cerning general play. 

Do not be discouraged if in the begin- 
ning your ball does not sail away into 
space as does that of the crack player 
whose style you are endeavoring to imi- 
tate. The game cannot be learned all 
at once; if it could, there is no doubt 
at all but that one of its great pleasures 
would be lost. It takes long and intel- 
ligent practice. Probably at first you 
will have what is known as * ' beginners' 
luck; " in other words, you will imme- 
diately begin to play what you may 
consider to be a very fair game, even 
when compared to the play of those who 
are no longer novices. Later on, you will 
feel that you are going backwards; the 
more you try, the less happy your re- 
sults. The cause of all this probably 
comes from the fact that a beginner 
knows absolutely nothing about the 
game. This being so, the mind is not 
bothered about details, and he gives his 
whole attention to hitting the ball with 
free and unimpeded movement. Then 



148 GOLF IN AMERICA 

he begins to look the game up in the 
books, and his mind is confused by the 
number of details which he is asked to 
remember at the same time; conse- 
quently, his game falls off and his man- 
nerisms alone remain. Practice under 
good coaching is the one thing necessary 
to elevate him from this condition into 
the ranks of good golfers, for a good 
golfer he certainly cannot be until he 
has mastered the details of the game. 
The amount of practice which is consid- 
ered wise is a matter in which there is 
some difference of opinion. Three or 
four times a week is thought by some 
to be sufficient, and more than that un- 
desirable, if a man wishes to obtain the 
best results. This is, however, if pos- 
sible, taking the game a little too seri- 
ously. It is a better rule to play when- 
ever the opportunity presents itself and 
you desire to do so, but to remember 
above all not to get into the habit of 
playing carelessly; there is no greater 
enemy to success. 



PART V. 

ETIQUETTE. 

The playing rules of golf are fairly 
full and comprehensive. They serve 
to point out the method whereby the 
game shall be played and the limits by 
which it shall be prescribed. These in 
a general way may be said to be the 
objects of the rules of all games. But 
there is something more to any game 
than the actual rules under which it is 
to be played. There is the interpreta- 
tion of these rules, the spirit also in 
which they are to be received and car- 
ried out, and certain practices among 
the players which, for obvious reasons, 
in each case, custom has made an un- 
written addition to the rules. It is this 
" something more," this unwritten ad- 
dition, which forms the etiquette of the 
game. 

There is no rule, for instance, in golf 
providing that an opponent shall not 



150 GOLF IN AMERICA 

tee his ball before the player who leads 
from the tee has been allowed to play. 
Yet this is universally regarded as a 
part of the etiquette of the game. No 
player preparing to drive off should be 
bothered by his opponent who is mov- 
ing around him, looking for a suitable 
eminence upon which to tee his own 
ball. And if his opponent has actually 
teed his own ball before the player who 
has the honor is preparing for his 
stroke, it is equally an annoyance. It 
is a reminder that his opponent is eager 
for his own opportunity; it bears with 
it a suggestion of hurry, and serves 
generally to distract the attention of 
the player from his own game. This, 
obviously, is unnecessary on the part of 
the opponent and an actual disadvan- 
tage to him who is about to play. The 
rules do not provide for such a case; 
there is no loss of a hole or of a stroke; 
consequently custom has stepped in and 
has declared it to be contrary to the 
etiquette of the game. 

Again, and this is most important, no 




ST. ANDREWS LiNKS. ANOTHER VIEW. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 151 

player, caddie, or onlooker should move 
or talk during a stroke. Golf is a game 
essentially where each individual stroke 
must be carefully played. Take care of 
your strokes and your score will take 
care of itself, might well be said of it. It 
is in consequence most important that a 
player should be allowed the privilege 
of playing each stroke without distrac- 
tion or annoyance. It is only by a con- 
centration of his attention to the partic- 
ular stroke under consideration that he 
can hope to excel in the game. This is 
well known to golfers and to the ma- 
jority of our caddies also in a vague 
way. The caddies may not reason much 
about it, but the necessity of silence and 
of standing in one position while the 
stroke is being made has been well 
drilled into them. It is the result, after 
all, which is important to the player. 
With the spectators, however, the matter 
is not so well understood. Even if it be 
a positive right which onlookers have to 
follow a match game, it is a right which 
is theirs under restriction. A certain 



152 GOLF IN AMERICA 

courtesy upon their part towards the 
players is demanded, and it consists in 
remaining silent and in one position as 
each stroke is played. It is upon the 
putting-green where this matter of eti- 
quette is usually most in danger. A has 
holed out, let us say, with a total score of 
50. B is fifteen yards from the hole and 
has played 48. His preparation for the 
stroke is complete — distance, direction, 
wind, everything has been taken into 
consideration, and as he is about to play, 
'' Will he do it ? " comes to his ears, from 
some interested on-looker, in a stage- 
whisper. Any golf player knows how 
far in excess of the apparent cause is the 
effect which may be produced upon the 
player in such a case. One of the best 
ways, perhaps, to provide against such 
an occurrence at the last hole, is to choke 
it off at the first. This can be done by 
a firm and impartial umpire or scorer 
who will make it his duty after a gen- 
eral warning to speak openly to individ- 
ual transgressors as the occasion de- 
mands it. The presence of spectators 



GOLF IN AMERICA 153 

should at all odds be a stimulus, not a 
handicap, to the contestants. 

It is to be presumed that a party play- 
ing three or more balls will not make 
as rapid progress as a party playing but 
two balls. If all the players in both 
parties played at somewhat the same 
rate of speed, it can readily be seen that 
such would be the case. Consequently 
a party playing three or more balls must 
allow a two-ball match to pass them; 
another illustration of the fact that eti- 
quette is founded upon good sense. 

Players who have holed out should 
not try their putts over again when other 
players are following them. To do so 
would obviously delay in an unfair man- 
ner those who are behind. It should 
also be remembered that it is equally 
unreasonable for those who are following 
on to press too eagerly upon the party 
ahead of them. It is seldom that one 
who is accustomed to the links is hit by 
a golf ball ; at the same time there is a 
strong possibility that some players will 
be struck unless there is some method 



154 GOLF IN AMERICA 

observed in allowing a safe distance to 
intervene between two parties engaged 
in separate games. The custom in this 
respect is that no player should play 
from the tee until those in front are out 
of range. With good players the second 
shot ought to take one out of range, but, 
as a matter of fact, the indifferent player 
will need three shots or more to make 
the distance. It is a question of good 
sense and judgment. 

When approaching the putting-green, 
it is correct to wait until those in front 
have holed out and moved away before 
playing the approach shot. Of course, 
if the party in front is composed of poor 
players, and that behind is a faster team, 
a feeling of natural politeness should 
suggest to those in front to allow those 
behind to pass them. A little common 
sense will show that all these suggestions 
are entirely sensible to prevent unrea- 
sonable delay. 

Players looking for a lost ball must 
allow any other match coming up to 
pass them. The time allowed to a 



GOLF IN AMERICA 155 

player in looking for a lost ball is five 
minutes, and it is not to be expected 
that the play of other matches on a 
crowded links is to be blocked on this 
account. 

Another rule belonging to the estab- 
lished etiquette of the game is that a 
party playing a shorter round must allow 
a two-ball match playing the whole round 
to pass them. This is upon the theory 
that those playing a match game consist- 
ing of a complete round of the course 
should have greater rights than those 
who are merely playing over a part of 
the course in practice. 

A matter which is most frequently 
overlooked is the replacing of turf which 
has been cut or displaced in the act of 
playing. It not infrequently happens 
with the beginner that he recklessly 
plows up the turf in his attempts to hit 
the ball. These agricultural strokes are 
entirely excusable from one point of 
view. No one knows until he has tried 
the game how frequent and uninten- 
tional they may be, but the fact that 



156 GOLF IN AMERICA 

they are excusable because they are un- 
intentional is no reason why the dam- 
age done should not be remedied before 
passing on, otherwise a course which is 
naturally true will in time become 
greatly spoiled in this respect. 

So much for some of the well-estab- 
lished customs of golf, the observance of 
which, especially upon a crowded links, 
greatly adds to the pleasure of the game. 



RULES FOR THE GAME OF 
GOLF. 

1. The game of golf is played by two 
or more sides, each playing its own ball. 
A side may consist of one or more per- 
sons. 

2. The game consists in each side play- 
ing a ball from a tee into a hole by suc- 
cessive strokes, and the hole is won by 
the side holing its ball in the fewest 
strokes, except as otherwise provided for 
in the rules. If two sides hole out in 



GOLF IN AMERICA 167 

the same number of strokes, the hole is 
halved, 

3. The teeing ground shall be indi- 
cated by two marks placed in a line at 
right angles to the course, and the player 
shall not tee in front of nor on either 
side of these marks, nor more than two 
club lengths behind them. A ball played 
from outside the limits of the teeing 
ground as thus defined may be recalled 
by the opposite side. 

The holes shall be 4^ inches in diam- 
eter and at least 4 inches deep. 

4. The ball must be fairly struck at 
and not pushed, scraped or spooned, un- 
der penalty of the loss of the hole. Any 
movement of the club which is intended 
to strike the ball is a stroke. 

5. The game commences by each side 
playing a ball from the first teeing 
ground. In a match with two or more 
on a side, the partners shall strike off 
alternately from the tees and shall strike 
alternately during the play of the hole. 

The players who are to strike against 
each other shall be named at starting, 



158 GOLF IN AMERICA 

and shall continue in the same order 
during the match. 

The player who shall play first on each 
side shall be named by his own side. 

In case of failure to agree it shall be 
settled by lot or toss which side shall 
have the option of leading, 

6. If a player shall play when his part- 
ner should have done so his side shall 
lose the hole, except in the case of the 
tee shot, when the stroke may be recalled 
at the option of the opponents. 

7. The side winning a hole shall lead 
in starting for the next hole and may re- 
call the opponent's stroke should he play 
out of order. The privilege is called the 
'* honor." On starting for a new match, 
the winner of the long match in the 
previous round is entitled to the ' ' hon- 
or. " Should the first match have been 
halved, the winner of the last hole gained 
is entitled to the '* honor." 

8. One round of the links — generally 
eighteen holes — is a match unless other- 
wise agreed upon. The match is won 
by the side which gets more holes ahead 



GOLF IN AMERICA 159 

than there remain holes to be played, or 
by the side winning the last hole when 
the match was all even at the second last 
hole. If both sides have won the same 
number it is a halved match. 

9. After the balls are struck from the 
tee, the ball farthest from the hole to 
which the parties are playing shall be 
played first, except as otherwise pro- 
vided for in the rules. Should the 
wrong side play first, the opponent may 
recall the stroke before his side has 
played. 

10. Unless with the opponent's con- 
sent, a ball struck from the tee shall 
not be changed, touched or moved be- 
fore the hole is played out, under the 
penalty of one stroke, except as other- 
wise provided for in the rules. 

11. In playing through the green, all 
loose impediments within a club's length 
of a ball which is not lying in or touch- 
ing a hazard may be removed, but 
loose impediments which are more than 
a club's length from the ball shall not be 
removed under the penalty of one stroke. 



160 GOLF IN AMERICA 

12. Before striking at the ball the 
player shall not move, bend or break 
anything fixed or growing near the ball, 
except in the act of placing his feet on 
the ground for the purpose of addressing 
the ball, and in soling his club to ad- 
dress the ball, under the penalty of the 
loss of the hole, except as provided for 
in Rule i8. 

13. A ball stuck fast in wet ground or 
sand may be taken out and replaced 
loosely in the hole which it has made. 

14. When a ball lies in or touches a 
hazard, the club shall not touch the 
ground, nor shall anything be touched 
or moved before the player strikes at 
the ball, except that the player may 
place his feet firmly on the ground for 
the purpose of addressing the ball, under 
the penalty of the loss of the hole. 

15. A ^'hazard " shall be any bunker 
of whatever nature — water, sand, loose 
earth, mole hills, paths, roads or rail- 
ways, whins, bushes, rushes, rabbit 
scrapes, fences, ditches, or anything 
which is not the ordinary green of the 



GOLF IN AMERICA 161 

course, except sand blown on to the 
grass by wind or sprinkled on grass for 
the preservation of the links, or snow 
or ice, or bare patches on the course. 

1 6. A player or a player's caddie shall 
not press down or remove any irregu- 
larities of surface near the ball, except 
at the teeing ground, under the penalty 
of the loss of the hole. 

17. If any vessel, wheelbarrow, tool, 
roller, grass-cutter, box, or other similar 
obstruction has been placed upon the 
course, such obstruction may be re- 
moved. A ball lying on or touching 
such obstruction, or on clothes, or nets, 
or on ground under repair or temporarily 
covered up or opened, may be lifted and 
dropped at the nearest point of the 
course, but a ball lifted in a hazard^ shall 
be dropped in the hazard. A ball lying 
in a golf hole or flag hole may be lifted 
and dropped not more than a club's 
length behind such hole. 

18. When a ball is completely covered 
with grass, bushes, hedges, trees, or 
foliage, only so much thereof shall be 



162 GOLF IN AMERICA 

set aside as that the player shall have a 
view of his ball before he plays, whether 
in a line with the hole or otherwise. 

19. When a ball is to be dropped, the 
player shall drop it. He shall front the 
hole, stand erect behind the hazard, keep 
the spot from which the ball was lifted 
(or in the case of running- water, the 
spot at which it entered) in a line be- 
tween him and the hole, and drop the 
ball behind him from his head, standing 
as far behind the hazard as he may 
please. 

20. When the balls in play lie within 
six inches of each other — measured from 
their nearest points — the ball nearer the 
hole shall be lifted until the other is 
played, and shall then be replaced as 
nearly as possible in its original position. 
Should the ball farther from the hole be 
accidentally moved in so doing, it shall 
be replaced. Should the lie of the lifted 
ball be altered by the opponent in play- 
ing, it may be placed in a lie near to, 
and as nearly as possible similar to, that 
from which it was lifted. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 163 

21. If the ball lie or be lost in water, 
the player may drop a ball, under the 
penalty of one stroke. 

2 2. Whatever happens by accident to 
a ball in motion, such as its being de- 
flected or stopped by any agency out- 
side the match, or by the forecaddie, is 
a ''rub of the green," and the ball shall 
be played from where it lies. Should a 
ball lodge in anything moving, such 
ball, or if it cannot be recovered, an- 
other ball, shall be dropped as nearly as 
possible at the spot where the object 
was when the ball lodged in it. But if 
a ball at rest be displaced by any 
agency outside the match, the player 
shall drop it or another ball as nearly 
as possible at the spot where it lay. On 
the putting-green the ball may be re- 
placed by hand. 

23. If the player's ball strike, or be 
accidentally moved by, an opponent, or 
an opponent's caddie or clubs, the oppo- 
nent loses the hole. 

24. If the player's ball strike, or be 
stopped by, himself or his partner, or 



164 GOLF IN AMERICA 

either of their caddies or clubs, or if, 
while in the act of playing the player 
strike the ball twice, his side loses the 
hole. 

25. If the player, when not making a 
stroke, or his partner or either of their 
caddies touch their side's ball, except 
at the tee, so as to move it, or by touch- 
ing anything cause it to move, the pen- 
alty is one stroke. 

26. A ball is considered to have been 
moved if it leave its original position in 
the least degree and stop in another; 
but if a player touch his ball and there- 
by cause it to oscillate, without causing 
it to leave its original position, it is not 
moved in the sense of Rule 25. 

27. A player's side loses a stroke if 
he play the opponent's ball, unless ( i ) 
the opponent then play the player's 
ball, whereby the penalty is cancelled, 
and the hole must be played out with 
the balls thus exchanged, or (2) the 
mistake occur through wrong informa- 
tion given by the opponent, in which 
case the mistake, if discovered before 



GOLF IN AMERICA 165 

the opponent has played, must be recti- 
fied by placing a ball as nearly as possi- 
ble where the opponent's ball lay. 

If it be discovered, before either side 
has struck off at the tee, that one side 
has played out the previous hole with 
the ball of a party not engaged in the 
match, that side loses that hole. 

28. If a ball be lost, the player's side 
loses the hole. A ball shall be held as 
lost if it be not found within five min- 
utes after the search is begun. 

29. A ball must be played wherever 
it lies, or may, under a penalty of two 
strokes, be lifted out of a difficulty of 
any description and teed behind the 
same. 

30. The term "putting-green" shall 
mean the ground within twenty yards 
of the hole, excepting hazards. 

31. All loose impediments may be 
removed from the putting-green, except 
the opponent's ball when at a greater 
distance from the player's than six 
inches. 

32. In a match of three or more 



166 GOLF IN AMERICA 

sides, a ball in any degree lying be- 
tween the player and the hole must be 
lifted, or, if on the putting-green, holed 
out. 

33. When the ball is on the putting- 
green, no mark shall be placed, nor 
line drawn, as a guide. The line to the 
hole may be pointed out, but the person 
doing so may not touch the ground with 
the hand or club. 

The player may have his own or his 
partner's caddie to stand at the hole, 
but none of the players or their caddies 
may move so as to shield the ball from, 
or expose it to, the wind. 

The penalty for any breach of this 
rule is the loss of the hole. 

34. The player, or his caddie, may re- 
move (but not press down) sand, earth, 
worm casts or snow lying around the 
hole or on the line of his putt. This 
shall be done by brushing lightly with 
the hand only across the putt and not 
along it. Dung may be removed to a 
side by an iron club, but the club must 
not be laid with more than its own 



GOLF IN AMERICA 167 

weight upon the ground. The putting 
line must not be touched by club, hand 
or foot, except as above authorized, or 
immediately in front of the ball in the 
act of addressing it, under the penalty 
of the loss of the hole. 

35. Either side is entitled to have the 
flag-stick removed when approaching 
the hole. If the ball rest against the 
flag- stick when in the hole, the player 
shall be entitled to remove the stick, 
and, if the ball fall in, it shall be con- 
sidered as holed out in the previous 
stroke. 

36. A player shall not play until the 
opponent's ball shall have ceased to roll, 
under the penalty of one stroke. Should 
the player's ball knock in the opponent's 
ball, the latter shall be counted as holed 
out in the previous stroke. If, in play- 
ing, the player's ball displace the oppo- 
nent's ball, the opponent shall have the 
option of replacing it. 

37. A player shall not ask for advice, 
nor be knowingly advised about the 
game by word, look or gesture from 



168 GOLF IN AMERICA 

any one except his own caddie, or his 
partner or partner's caddie, tinder the 
penalty of the loss of the hole. 

38. If a ball split into separate pieces, 
another ball may be put down where the 
largest portion lies, or if two pieces are 
apparently of equal size, it may be put 
where either piece lies, at the option of 
the player. If a ball crack or become 
unplayable, the player may change it, 
on intimating to his opponent his inten- 
tion to do so. 

39. A penalty stroke shall not be 
counted the stroke of a player, and shall 
not affect the rotation of play. 

40. Should any dispute arise on any 
point, the players have the right of de- 
termining the party or parties to whom 
the dispute shall be referred, but should 
they not agree, either party may refer 
it to the Green Committee of the green 
where the dispute occurs, and their 
decision shall be final. Should the 
dispute not be covered by the rules 
of golf, the arbiters must decide it by 
equity. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 169 

SPECIAL RULES FOR MEDAL 
PLAY. 

1. In club competitions, the competi- 
tor doing the stipulated course in the 
fewest strokes shall be the winner. 

2. If the lowest score be made by two 
or more competitors, the ties shall be 
decided by another round, to be played 
either on the same or on any other day 
as the Captain, or, in his absence, the 
Secretary shall direct. 

3. New holes shall be made for the 
medal round, and thereafter no member 
shall play any stroke on a putting-green 
before competing. 

4. The scores shall be kept by a 
special marker, or by the competitors 
noting each other's scores. The scores 
marked shall be checked at the finish of 
each hole. On completion of the course, 
the score of the player shall be signed 
by the person keeping the score and 
handed to the Secretary. 

5. If a ball be lost, the player shall 
return as nearly as possible to the spot 



170 GOLF IN AMERICA 

where the ball was struck, tee another 
ball, and lose a stroke. If the lost ball 
be found before he has struck the other 
ball, the first shall continue in play. 

6. If the player's ball strike himself, 
or his clubs or caddie, or if, in the act 
of playing, the player strike the ball 
twice, the penalty shall be one stroke. 

7. If a competitor's ball strike the 
other player, or his clubs or caddie, it is 
a " rub of the green," and the ball shall 
be played from where it lies. 

8. A ball may, under a penalty of two 
strokes, be lifted out of a difficulty of any 
description, and be teed behind same. 

9. All balls shall be holed out, and 
when play is on the putting-green, the 
flag shall be removed, and the competi- 
tor whose ball is nearest the hole shall 
have the option of holing out first, or 
of lifting his ball, if it be in such a posi- 
tion that it might, if left, give an advan- 
tage to the other competitor. Through- 
out the green a competitor can have the 
other competitor's ball lifted, if he find 
that it interferes with his stroke. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 171 

10. A competitor may not play with a 
professional, and he may not receive ad- 
vice from any one but his caddie. 

A forecaddie may be employed. 

11. Competitors may not discontinue 
play because of bad weather. 

12. The penalty for a breach of any 
rule shall be disqualification. 

13. Any dispute regarding the play 
shall be determined by the Green Com- 
mittee. 

14. The ordinary Rules of Golf, so far 
as they are not at variance with these 
special rules, shall apply to medal play. 



ETIQUETTE OF GOLF. 

The following customs belong to the 
established Etiquette of Golf and should 
be observed by all Golfers : 

1. No player, caddie or onlooker 
should move or talk during a stroke. 

2. No player should play from the tee 
until the party in front have played their 



172 GOLF IN AMERICA 

second strokes and are out of range, nor 
play to the putting-green till the party 
in front have holed out and moved 
away. 

3. The player who leads from the tee 
should be allowed to play before his 
opponent tees his ball. 

4. Players who have holed out should 
not try their putts over again when 
other players are following them. 

5. Players looking for a lost ball must 
allow any other match coming up to 
pass them. 

6. A party playing three or more 
balls must allow a two-ball match to 
pass them. 

7. A party playing a shorter round 
must allow a two-ball match playing the 
whole round to pass them. 

8. A player should not putt at the 
hole when the flag is in it. 

9. The reckoning of the strokes is 
kept by the terms: *'the odd," "two 
more," "three more," etc., and "one 
off three," "one off two," "the like." 
The reckoning of the holes is kept by 



GOLF IN AMERICA 173 

the terms: so many ''holes up," or 
"all even," and so many "to play." 

lo. Turf cut or displaced by a stroke 
in playing should be at once replaced. 



GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL 

TERMS EMPLOYED IN 

THE GAME OF GOLF. 

Addressing the Ball. — Putting oneself 
in position to strike the ball. 

Approach. — When a player is suffi- 
ciently near the hole to be able to drive 
the ball to the putting-green, his stroke 
is called the "approach shot." 

Baff. — To strike the ground with the 
" sole " of the club-head in playing, and 
so send ball in air. 

Baffy. — A wooden club to play lofting 
shots. 

Bone. — See Horn. 

Brassy. — A wooden club with a brass 
sole. 

Break-club. — An obstacle lying near 



174 GOLF IN AMERICA 

a ball of such a nature as might break 
the club when striking at the ball. 

Bulger. — A wooden club with a con- 
vex face. 

Bunker. — A term originally confined, 
almost exclusively, to a sandpit. Its 
use is now extended to almost any kind 
of hazard. See Hazard. 

Bye. — The holes remaining after the 
long match is finished. 

Caddie. — A person who carries the 
golfer's clubs. 

Carry. — The distance from the pface 
where the ball is struck to the place 
where it pitches. Hence a long carry, 
and a short carry. 

Cleek. — An iron-headed club used for 
driving, and sometimes for putting. 

Club. — The implement with which 
the ball is struck. The heads are of 
three kinds — wood, wood with a brass 
sole, and iron only. 

Course. — That portion of the links on 
which the game ought to be played, 
generally bounded on either side by 
rough ground or other hazard. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 175 

Cup. — A small hole in the course, usu- 
ally one made by the stroke of some pre- 
vious playei*. 

Dead. — A ball is said to be " dead " 
when it lies so near the hole that the 
"putt" is a (^.?rt^(/ certainty. A ball is 
said to fall "dead" when it does not 
run after alighting. 

Divot. — Piece of turf cut out by an 
iron club, which should always be care- 
fully replaced. 

Dormy. — One side is said to be 
"dormy"when it is as many holes 
ahead as there remain holes to play. 
(This word is probably derived from the 
French, like many Scottish terms.) 

Draw. — To drive widely to the left 
hand. Identical in its effect with Hook 
and Pull. 

Driver. — See Play Club. 

Face. — First, the slope of a bunker or 
hillock; second, the part of the club 
head which strikes the ball. 

Flat. — A club is said to be "fiat" 
when its head is at a very obtuse angle 
to the shaft. 



176 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Fog. — Moss, rank grass. 

Foozle. — A bad, bungling stroke. 

Fore! — A warning cry to any person in 
the way of the stroke. 

Foursome. — A match in which two 
play on each side ; those on a side play- 
ing alternate strokes with the same ball. 

Gobble. — A rapid straight " putt " into 
the hole, such that, had the ball not 
gone in, it would have gone some dis- 
tance beyond. 

Golf -ball. — Made of gutta-percha, or 
some composition into which gutta-per- 
cha largely enters, strongly compressed 
in a mold. They are numbered by the 
makers — 26, 27, 27)^, 28, 29 — according 
to the number of drachms (avoirdupois) 
they weigh. A 27)^ gutta-percha is iH 
inch in diameter. 

Grassed. — Said of a club whose face 
is slightly ** spooned " or sloped back- 
ward. 

Green. — First, the whole links; sec- 
ond, the putting-ground around the dif- 
erent holes. 

Grip. — First, the part of the handle 



GOLF IN AMERICA 177 

covered with leather by which the club 
is grasped; second, the grasp itself. 

Gutty. — An euphemistic term for a 
gutta-percha ball. 

Half One. — A handicap of a stroke 
deducted every second hole. 

Half Shot. — Less than a full swing. 

Halved. — A hole is said to be 
** halved" when each side takes the 
same number of strokes. A ''halved 
match "is a "drawn game"; i.e. the 
players have proved to be equal. 

Hajiging. — A "hanging" ball is one 
which lies on a downward slope. 

Hazard. — A general term for bunker, 
long grass, road, water, whin, molehill, 
or other bad ground. 

Head. — This word is a striking speci- 
men of incongruity and mixed metaphor. 
A head is the lowest part of a club and 
possesses, among other mysterious char- 
acteristics, a sole^ a keel, a toe, or 7tose, a 
neck, and a face/ 

Heel. — First,the part of the head near- 
est the shaft; second, to hit from this 
part and send ball to the right hand. 



178 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Hole. — First, the four-and-a-quarter- 
inch hole lined with iron. The holes 
going out are generally marked with 
white and those coming in with red 
flags; second, the whole space between 
any two of these. 

Honor. — The right to play off first 
from the tee. 

Hook. — See Draw. 

Horn. — A piece of that substance in- 
serted in the sole of the club to prevent 
it splitting. 

Hose. — The socket in iron-headed 
clubs into which the shaft fits. 

Iron. — A club made of the material 
its name implies, with the head more or 
less laid back to loft a ball. 

Jerk. — In "jerking" the club should 
strike the ball with a downward stroke 
and stop on reaching the ground. 

Lie. — First, the inclination of a club 
when held on the ground in the natural 
position for striking; second, the situa- 
tion of a ball — good or bad. 

Lift. — To lift a ball is to take it out 
of a hazard and drop or tee it behind. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 179 

Like. — See under Odd. 

Like-as-we-lie. — When both sides have 
played the same number of strokes. 

Links. — The open downs or heath on 
which golf is played. 

Loft.— To elevate the ball. 

Made. — A player or his ball is said to 
be ** made " when his ball is sufficiently 
near the hole to be played on to the put- 
ting-green next shot. 

Mashy. — A straight-faced niblick. 

Match. — First, the sides playing against 
each other ; second, the game itself. 

Match Play. — Reckoning the score by 
holes. 

Medal Play. — Reckoning the score by 
strokes. 

Miss the Globe. — To fail to strike the 
ball either by swinging right over the 
top of it or by hitting the ground be- 
hind. It is counted a stroke. 

Neck. — The crook of the head where 
it joins the shaft. 

Niblick. — A small narrow-headed 
heavy iron club used when the ball lies 
in bad places, as ruts or whins, etc. 



180 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Nose. — The point or front portion of 
the club-head. 

Odd. — First, ''An odd," " two odds," 
etc., per hole, means the handicap given 
to a weak opponent by deducting one, 
two, etc., strokes from his total every 
hole; second, to have played " the odd " 
is to have played one stroke more than 
your adversary. Some other terms 
used in counting the game will be most 
easily explained here altogether: If 
your opponent has played one stroke 
more than you — i.e. "the odd" — your 
next stroke will be " the like; " if two 
strokes more — i.e. "the two more" — 
your next stroke will be ' ' the one off 
two; " if " three more," "the one off 
three; " and so on. 

One off Two, O^ie off Three, etc. — See 
under Odd. 

Play Club. — A wooden-headed club 
with a full-length shaft more or less 
supple ; with it the ball can be driven to 
the greatest distance. It is used when 
the ball lies well. 

Press. — To strive to hit harder than 



GOLF IN AMERICA 181 

you can with adequate accuracy of aim. 

Putt. — To play the delicate game 
close to the hole. (Pronounce u as in 
but.) 

Putter. — An upright, stiff-shafted, 
wooden-headed club (some use iron 
heads), used when the ball is on the 
putting-green. 

Putting-green. — The prepared ground 
round the hole. 

Putty. — Eclipse ball, so-called from 
its comparative softness, and to rhyme 
with Gutty. 

Rub on the Green. — A favorable or un- 
favorable knock to the ball, for which no 
penalty is imposed and which must be 
submitted to. 

Rtm. — To run a ball along the ground 
in approaching hole instead of lofting it. 

Scare. — The narrow part of the club- 
head by which it is glued to the handle. 

Sclaff. — Almost synonymous with 
Baff, which see. The distinction is so 
subtle as almost to defy definition. 

Scratch Player. — One who receives no 
allowance in a handicap. 



182 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Screw. — See Draw. 

Set. — A full complement of clubs. 

Shaft. — The stick or handle of the 
club. 

Slice. — To hit the ball with a draw- 
across it, from right to left, with the 
result that it flies to the right. 

5^/^.— The flat bottom of the club- 
head. 

Spoons. — Wooden-headed clubs of 
three lengths — long, middle, and short ; 
the head is scooped so as to loft the ball. 

Spring. — The degree of suppleness in 
the shaft. 

Square. — When the game stands even- 
ly balanced, neither side being any holes 
ahead. 

Stance. — The position of the player's 
feet when addressing himself to the 
ball. 

Steal. — To hole an unlikely " putt " 
from a distance, by a stroke which sends 
the ball, stealthily, only just the dis- 
tance of the hole. 

Stroke. — The act of hitting the ball 
with the club, or the attempt to do so. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 183 

Stroke Hole. — The hole or holes at 
which, in handicapping, a stroke is 
given. 

Stymie. — When your opponent's ball 
lies in the line of your ''putt" — from 
an old Scotch word, meaning ' ' the 
faintest form of anything." Vide " Ja- 
mieson," 

Swing. — The sweep of the club in 
driving. 

Tee. — The pat of sand on which the 
ball is placed for the first stroke each hole. 

Teeing Ground. — A space marked out, 
within the limits of which the ball must 
be teed. 

Third. — A handicap of a stroke de- 
ducted every third hole. 

Toe. — Another name for the nose of 
the club. 

Top. — To hit the ball above its center. 

Two-more, Three-more, etc. — See un- 
der Odd. 

Upright. — A club is said to be " up- 
right " when its head is not at a very 
obtuse angle to the shaft. The con- 
verse of Flat. 



184 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Whins. — Furze or gorse. 

Whipping. — The pitched twine unit- 
ing the head and handle. 

Wrist Shot. — Less than a half shot, 
generally played with an iron club. 



LIST OF LEADING AMERICAN 
CLUBS. 

ST. ANDREWS GOLF CLUB OF YONKERS. 

John Reid, .... President 
W. D. Baldwin, . . Vice-President 
H. W. R. Innis, . . . Treasurer 
W. E. Hodgman, . . . Captain 
H. O. Tallmadge, . . . Secretary 
Address : 19 Whitehall Street, New 
York City. 

Governing Committee, iSg/j.-^, 

H. Holbrook, J. B. Upham, A. L. 
Livermore, Dr. Henry Moffat. 
Links situated at Yonkers, N. Y. 
Number of members, 150. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 185 

SHINNECOCK HILLS GOLF CLUB. 

Thomas H. Barber, . . President 
Geo. R. Schieffelin, . . Vice-President 
Charles L. Atterbury, . . Treasurer 
S. L. Parrish, .... Secretary 

Address : 44 and 46 Broadway, New 
York City. 

Links situated at Shinnecock Hills, 
Long Island, N. Y. 

Number of members and subscribers, 
225. 

NEWPORT GOLF CLUB. 

Theodore A. Havemeyer, . President 
Robert Goelet, . . Vice-President 
O. H. P. Belmont, . . Treasurer 
Robert I. Gammel, . . . Secretary 
Address : Newport, R. I. 

Executive Committee, 

H. M. Brooks, Buchanan Winthrop, 
H. A. C. Taylor. 

Links situated at Newport, R. I. 

Number of members and subscribers, 
250. 



186 GOLF IN AMERICA 

COUNTRY CLUB OF BROOKLINE, MASS. 

Executive Committee. 
J. Murray Forbes, Chairman ; F. W. 
Lee, Treasurer ; A. Donner, Secretary ; 
F. Peabody, Jr., Charles Head, James 
Parker, Charles Davis, Jr., A. W. Stead- 
man, J. H. Bradford, Jr., H. D. Burn- 
ham, Charles F. Sprague, Wm. H. 
Goodwin, Jr., Q. A. Shaw, Jr. 

Golf Committee. 

H. D. Burnham, Chairman ; Quincy 
A. Shaw, Jr., J. T. Morse, Jr., and 
Laurence Curtis, Secretary. 

Address : Country Club, Brookline, 
Mass. 

Links situated at Brookline, Mass., 
near Boston. 

Number of players, 150. 

CHICAGO GOLF CLUB. 

Charles B. Macdonald, . . Captain 
Address: 177-179 Dearborn Street, 
Chicago, 111. 

James B. Forgan, . . Treasurer 
E. W. Cramer, . . . Secretary 



GOLF IN AMERICA 187 

Directors. 

H. C. Wilmerding, J. C. Sterling, 
Henry B. Stone, E. S. Worthington, E. 
I. Frost, B. M. Wilson. 

Links situated at Wheaton, 111. , twen- 
ty-five miles from Chicago. 

Number of members, 150. 

ESSEX COUNTY CLUB. 

Robert C. Hooper, . . . Chairman 
Henry W. Cunningham, 

Secretary and Treasurer 

Address all golf communications to 
''Committee on Golf," Essex County 
Club, Manchester, Mass. 

Links situated at Manchester, Mass., 
near Boston. 

Number of members, 250. 

MORRIS COUNTY GOLF CLUB. 

Miss Nina Howland, . . President 
Mrs. H. McK. Twombly, 

Vice-President 
Mrs. William Shippen, 

Recording Secretary 



188 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Miss Alice D. Field, 

Corresponding Secretary- 
Mrs. Charles Bradley, , . Treasurer 

Number of members, 450. 

Links situated at Morristown, N. J. 

THE TUXEDO GOLF CLUB. 

W. Breese Smith, . . . President 
James L. Breese, . . Vice-President 

E. C. Kent Treasurer 

Alfred Seton, Jr., . . Secretary 
Dr. E. C. Rushmore, 

Captain of the Green 

MEADOWBROOK HUNT CLUB. 

Golf Committee. 

O. W. Bird, Chairman; W. Ruther- 
ford, J. F. D. Lanier, Charles Carroll, 

F. R. Appleton. 

Address communications to Golf Com- 
mittee, Meadowbrook Hunt Club, 
Hempstead, N. Y. 

Links situated at Hempstead, Long 
Island, N. Y. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 189 

GOLF CLUB OF MONTCLAIR. 

Mrs. F. M. Wheeler, . . President 
Mrs. G. S. Brown, . Vice-President 
A. Schroeder, Secretary and Treasurer 

Address: Montclair, N. J. 

Links situated at Montclair, N. J. 

Number of members, loo. 

MYOPIA HUNT CLUB. 

Golf Committee. 

James Parker; S. D. Bush, Secretary. 

Address: 71 Kilby Street, Boston, 
Mass. 

Links situated at Hamilton, Mass., 
near Boston. 

Number of members and subscribers, 
150. 

WARREN FARMS GOLF CLUB. 

Executive Committee. 

Alfred Bowditch, W. R. Cabot, A. 
Sampson, G. E. Cabot ; T. Daland, Sec- 
retary. 

Address: 16 Fairfield Street, Boston, 
Mass. 



190 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Links situated at Warren Farms, near 
Boston. 

Number of members, 50. 

THE GERMANTOWN CRICKET CLUB. 

Thomas McKean, . . . President 
Rodman Wister, ^ 

D. S. Newhall, V . Vice-Presidents 
C. Tower, Jr., ) 

E. W. Clark, Jr., . . Treasurer 
Samuel V. Merrick, . . Secretary- 
Address: Germantown Cricket Club, 

Philadelphia, Pa. 

Links situated at Germantown, near 
Philadelphia. 

Number of players, 100, 

PHILADELPHIA COUNTRY CLUB. 

Executive Committee. 

J. F. McFadden, Chairman; Geo. D. 
Fowle, Arthur E. Newbold, E. H. Mc- 
Cullough, Llewellyn Barry. 

Address: J. F. McFadden, 121 Chest- 
nut Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Number of players, 100. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 191 

THE MERION CRICKET CLUB. 

A. J. Cassatt, .... President 

A. Evans, ^ 

C. A. Griscom, [• . . Vice-Presidents 

W. P. Henszy, ) 

W. R. Philler, .... Treasurer 

E. S. Sayres, .... Secretary 

Address: Haverford, Pa. 

Links situated at Haverford, near 
Philadelphia. 

LAKE FOREST GOLF CLUB. 

Hobart C. Chatfield-Taylor, . President 
H. N. Tuttle, . . Vice-President 
Francis C. Farwell, Sec'y and Treasurer 

Address: Lake Forest, 111. 

Links situated at Lake Forest, near 
Chicago. 

COUNTRY CLUB OF COLORADO SPRINGS. 

Golf Committee. 

D. Chisholm, Chairman; Clarence 
Edsall, T. C. Parrish. 

Address the Chairman at Colorado 
Springs, Col. 



192 GOLF IN AMERICA 

Links situated at Broadmoor, near 
Colorado Springs. 

Number of players, 50. 

THE RICHMOND COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB. 

George Hunter, . . . Captain 
Golf Committee. 

W. H. Motley, Chairman; George 
Hunter, George E. Armstrong, A. J. 
McDonald, Wetherel Thomas. 

Links situated on Staten Island. 

HOHOKUS GOLF CLUB. 

L. A. Stout, .... President 

Harvey H. Palmer, . Vice-President 

Stewart C. Rawbotham, . . Secretary 

Links situated near Hohokus, N. J. 



LIST OF LEADING CANADIAN 
CLUBS. 

ROYAL MONTREAL GOLF CLUB. 

J. L. Morris, .... Captain 
E. G. Penny, . . .Hon. Secretary 

Membership about 150. 

Ladies' Club about 80. 



GOLF IN AMERICA 193 

QUEBEC GOLF CLUB. 

John Hamilton, .... Captain 
Major H. C. Sheppard, Hon. Secretary 
Membership, 80. 

OTTAWA GOLF CLUB. 

Lt.-Col. D. T. Irwin, . . Captain 
A. C. Simpson, . . Hon. Secretary 
Membership, 100. 

TORONTO GOLF CLUB. 

Walter G. P. Cassels, . . Captain 
A. W. Smith, . . Hon. Secretary 

Membership, 160. 

Ladies' membership, 100. 

KINGSTON GOLF CLUB. 

J. B. Carruthers, . . . Captain 
E. A. Robinson, . . Hon. Secretary 

NIAGARA GOLF CLUB. 

Charles Hunter, . . . Captain 
Alfred B. Whitehead, . Hon. Secretary 

HAMILTON GOLF CLUB. 

Senator Mclnnes, . . President 
A. G. Ramsay, . Vice-President 



194 



GOLF IN AMERICA 



DEER PARK GOLF CLUB OF TORONTO. 



Rev. Mr. White, 
T. C. Snider, . 



Captain 
Hon. Secretary 



LONDON GOLF CLUB. 

V. Cronyn, .... President 
I. W. G. Andrass, . . . Captain 
F. P. Betts, . . . Hon. Secretary 



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